The Kanaal door Zuid-Beveland is a canal in Zeeland that runs in a north-south direction from Wemeldinge to Hansweert. The canal is a connecting road for shipping between the Oosterschelde and the Westerschelde. The construction of the canal started in 1850 and the canal was opened in 1866. The canal through Zuid-Beveland is approximately 11 km long. Because the canal has an open connection with the Oosterschelde, there is also a tide in the canal from -1.99 to +2.20 meters NAP, depending on the season.
In the 20th century, the canal was one of the busiest canals in Europe. With the arrival of the Scheldt-Rhine Canal, the importance of the Canal through Zuid-Beveland for shipping has decreased. At the end of the 20th century, the canal was drastically widened, new railway and road bridges were built, the locks at Wemeldinge were no longer used for shipping traffic, and a new lock complex with two lock chambers was built in Hansweert. These current east and west locks in Hansweert are 280 m long and 24 m wide. The locks have roller doors. More than 44,000 vessels pass through here every year, nearly 10,000 of which are recreational craft.
Source Wikipedia