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New Asset for Wadden Transport Shipping
 Terschellinger
Bank with her new cargo bridge
Wadden Transport Shipping
on Terschelling has recently outfitted her freight ferry Terschellinger Bank
with a new cargo bridge. The bridge is 8,5 meters long and is designed
for vehicles and heavy machinery of up to 16 tons per axle. The new
longer bridge replaces the present rear ramp and makes it possible to load and
decharge cargo at every normal tide. As usual with the shipping
company, the bridge will be used to deposit and charge cargo directly onto and
from the quays in the diverse work harbors (Harlingen, Terschelling, and
Vlieland), 24 hours per day.
Our
years of meeting with Rijkswaterstaat (the Dutch governmental harbor and water
authority) have cumulated in a decision by the Dutch government to allow
Wadden Transport use of the public tidal bridges on the mainland and the
Wadden Islands. Historically the use of these bridges have been
limited to only one company, a private ferry company running a passenger
service to the islands. Upon the entrance of the Netherlands to the
European Union this practice has been denounced as monopoly-rendering and thus
illegal. With an eye for the economic importance of a regular passenger
ferry service to the islands, Rederij Wadden Transport has agreed to a motion
allowing the existing passenger ferries precedence at the bridges.
Outside the scheduled arrivals and departures of the regular ferry service the
bridges are open for use. A disadvantage is that the bridges on
Terschelling and Vlieland are occupied after working hours by the islander
ferries; on Terschelling in the winter this occures as early as 4:30 p.m. and
the ferry remains at her berth until 8:00 a.m. the following morning.
Traffic over these public tidal bridges in Harlingen and on the islands is
restricted to 45 tons per vehicle.
With
these recent developments Wadden Transport Shipping is proud to continue her
ongoing tradition of friendly and efficient service to her clients, and
invites them to take advantage of the new transport possibilities to and from
the Wadden Islands.
Sincerely,
Captain Fred Lakeman
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