When the old central lock in Terneuzen was blown up, calculation errors led to the possible use of too much explosive. This emerges from an assessment that Secretary Harbers (Infrastructure) sent to the House of Representatives. The explosion on March 23 should have died down, but it turned into a huge bang. Surrounding buildings were damaged.

The central lock, which is more than a hundred years old, has to disappear because a new lock system is being built in Terneuzen. During the preparation of the project, calculations were made about the amount of explosives needed. First the west wall of the lock would be blown up.

“The calculations were flawed,” writes Harbers. “As a result, too much explosive may have been used and detonated in too short a time. This resulted in more vibration than previously thought.” The covering of the wall, which should have prevented debris from flying around, was also inadequate.

Check out the images of the explosion here:

The assessment report was prepared by the Flemish-Dutch Scheldt Commission Terneuzen, the organization that also ordered the demolition. It is therefore an internal evaluation.

It states that the demolition officer, the so-called “jump master”, had the correct papers, but it cannot be inferred from the available information whether the people working under him also had sufficient basic knowledge.

Executing construction company Sassevaart says in the report that it is not often that locks that are more than a hundred years old are blown up and that it is therefore very difficult to determine how this should be tackled. The company can now better estimate the effects of such an explosion in advance.

Cracks and broken windows

About 200 damage reports were received after the bang. Cracked buildings and broken windows. There was no structural damage and nobody was injured. About half of the claims for damages were awarded. Minister Harbers writes that most victims are satisfied with the handling of the claims.

The demolition work was stopped after the unexpected explosion. First the east wall of the middle lock has to be blown up. A new plan is being drawn up for this, which also includes the experts involved in the evaluation.

Once that plan is finalized, the east wall of the lock will be blown up by the end of this year, Harbers writes.