This Locks of IJmuiden bicycle tour will lead you through the port and over the locks of IJmuiden, past the huge complex of Tata Steel to the harbour of Beverwijk and via the village of Wijk aan Zee to the North Pier. The contours of the Tata steelworks remain in sight most of the time.
2016 was the start for a new Sea Lock which will be the greatest in the world. In 2019, the lock is scheduled to welcome the very first vessel. You will now get the unique chance to witness the building of an unique new project on a bicycle.
To cross the mouth of the port you have to take the water taxi. Only available from april 1 till october 1. Check time and prices here.
Locks of ijmuiden bicycle tour;
Length: ~ 17 Mile Duration: ~ 2 hours
On the locks tour see map on a larger scale
On a daily basis, goods and commodities like oil, coal, foodstuff, jeans, cars, cocoa beans, feed and fertilisers comes in the Amsterdam port region. More than 80 percent of total cargo comes in through the European entrance gate of the Amsterdam port region, the Noordersluis lock. This lock goes back to 1929. It was considered the largest lock in the world until the mid-sixties. After that, it became the biggest lock in Europe for many years.
For technical and economic reasons as well, today the latter is ready to be replaced. In recent decades, however, transhipment rates at the Amsterdam port have more than doubled. Due to intensified shipping traffic, larger and wider vessels with impressive engines are called in. According to plans, the future lock therefore will be bigger, longer and deeper than the Noordersluis. It is a unique project given nature and size. The lock is scheduled to welcome the very first vessel in 2019.
