The basins of the Seine and the Scheldt are two of Europe’s most important industrial regions. Yet at present there is no navigable waterway for large container and push-towing ships between the two regions. France, Wallonia and Flanders are setting up the Seine-Scheldt Project to remedy this. In this way, Flanders, which is the gateway to the whole Scheldt and Rhine delta in the Netherlands and Germany, will be linked to Le Havre, Rouen and Paris.
Studies have shown that the expansion of the waterway link Seine-Scheldt Flanders is an interesting investment. The 1,100 km of navigable waterways in Flanders are indeed a hub for inland navigation in Western Europe. In one of the most densely populated regions of the world offer waterways durable, reliable and environmentally friendly connections between major industrial and service zones. The international waterway link between the Scheldt basin and the Seine basin is therefore included in the Trans European Network (TEN-T) for goods.