On Saturday in France, protesters demonstrated against the construction of the Seine-Nord Europe canal, a key component of the Seine-Scheldt Link, a large-scale inland waterway project intended to connect the French river with ports in Belgium and the Netherlands by 2032.

Protesters are particularly concerned about the impact on waterways and wetlands, and the loss of valuable farmland, and carried banners with slogans such as “Stop the concrete” and “Water for life, not for their profit.”

24 nature areas of ecological value are affected

The 107-kilometer-long and 54-meter-wide canal, which runs through the departments of Oise, Somme, Nord, and Pas-de-Calais, is set to become a key link in the Seine-Scheldt connection, a European Union-supported project designed to promote the transport of goods via inland waterways, with access for ships with a carrying capacity of up to 4,500 metric tons.

It covers 3,010 hectares and involves moving 74 million cubic meters of soil, but according to the protesters, it also affects 24 nature areas of ecological value.

“This is a very expensive canal,” explained the Méga Canal Non Merci collective, citing rising project costs. Initially, the project was estimated at 5 billion euros, later revised to 7 billion, and according to more recent estimates, it now exceeds 10 billion euros.

“But it’s also harmful to the environment, both to wildlife and to the water cycle,” said the collective, one of the event’s organizers, which, according to the organizers, drew 3,500 participants. The prefecture, which also mobilized 900 law enforcement officers, put the number at 2,000.

The organizers also question the promise of a massive shift from road to river transport. The project’s promoters claim that the canal takes the equivalent of 500,000 trucks off the road each year.

Currently, more than 85% of freight transport in France takes place by road, compared with only 2 to 3% by water. Inland waterway transport emits 3 to 5 times less CO2 than road transport.

One of the largest locks in Europe

The protesters had focused their demonstration on the lock at Oisy-le-Verger, a symbolic location because that is where construction of the future lock,  one of the largest in Europe, began after 50 years of debate and controversy.

There will be seven locks along the entire 107-kilometer route. The Oisy-le-Verger lock, with a structure height of 32 meters and a fall height of 25 meters, is the second-highest on the canal.

The lock chamber, 195 meters long by 12,5 meters wide, can accommodate ships up to 185 meters long, compared to just 92 meters for the locks on the existing Canal du Nord.

Construction, involving 170,000 m³ of concrete, is scheduled to take place from spring 2027 until the facility opens between 2031 and 2032.