Brugge-Zeebrugge Canal

Brugge-Zeebrugge Canal, also called Boudewijn Canal, waterway built between 1896 and 1907 to connect Brugge (Bruges) in Belgium with the North Sea, thus restoring Brugge’s ancient status as an ocean port. Zeebrugge is the port of Brugge, built artificially because the original marine channel to Brugge had silted up, and the canal was built at about the same time. It is 12 km (7.5 miles) long and has a depth of 8 metres (26 feet) and a width of 125 metres (400 feet). The sea lock is 20 metres (65 feet) wide by 210 metres (682 feet) long, that at the inland end being 12 metres (39 feet) by 100 metres (325 feet).