The Kreekrak locks are locks located in the Scheldt-Rhine Canal in the municipality of Reimerswaal, in the Dutch province of Zeeland. The locks were officially opened on September 23, 1975. Every day, inland vessels pass through the Kreekrak locks on their way between the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam. Windpark Kreekraksluis is located on and near the lock.
The Kreekrak locks form the connection between the Zoommeer and the southern branch of the Scheldt-Rhine Canal. South of the Kreekrak locks, the Scheldt-Rhine Canal cuts through South Beveland. The complex consists of two locks of equal size for shipping, each with a total length of 320 meters and a width of 24 meters. The locks are constructed as a fresh-salt separation system. In principle, the fresh water of the Zoommeer cannot mix with the salt water of the canal. Because salt water has a higher density than fresh water, when ships are on their way to Rotterdam, the salt water is pumped out at the bottom of the locks, while fresh water is added from above. The reverse happens for ships en route from the Zoommeer to Belgium. In 1996, the fresh-salt separation system of the Kreekrak sluices was switched off and replaced by plug flow through the use of a pumping station with a flow rate of approximately 5 m³/s to the Antwerp Canal Building.
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