# Eurogeul

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The **Eurogeul** or **Euromaasgeul** is a channel dug in the [North Sea](/source/North_Sea) in conjunction with the [Port of Rotterdam](/source/Port_of_Rotterdam). It has a length of 57 km and a depth of 23 meters.[1]

## Use

The Eurogeul is a so-called *deep water route* in the *[Traffic Separation Schemes](/source/Traffic_Separation_Scheme)* of the Southern part of the North Sea and the English Channel.[2] Ships with a draft between 14 and 20 meters only need to use the last part of the Eurogeul: the [Maasgeul](#Maasgeul). Ships with a depth of 20 meters or more need to use the entire length of the Eurogeul and will get a [pilot](/source/Maritime_pilot) on board before entering the Eurogeul. The smaller ships will normally receive their pilot near the [pilot station](/source/Pilot_station) [Maascenter](/source/Maascenter) buoy.

The Eurogeul allows deep-water sea access to the Port of Rotterdam. At high tide it allows large container-ships and large [ore carriers](/source/Ore_carrier) like the [MS *Berge Stahl*](/source/MS_Berge_Stahl) or [MV *Vale Rio de Janeiro*](/source/MV_Vale_Rio_de_Janeiro) to enter Rotterdam.[3]

## Maasgeul

The last 14 km section of the Eurogeul before approaching the coastline is called the *Maasgeul*. Seagoing vessels with a [draft](/source/Draft_(hull)) of over 20 meters must necessarily take the Eurogeul. Other ships can take the Maasgeul directly. The navigation is strictly regulated. Attendance is about one ship per day (357 for the latest year available).[4] The channel must be dredged and maintained; every year 5 to 7 million tons of sand are recovered. In 2008 the Eurogeul was expanded to an overall width of 600 meters.

In 2012 the Maasgeul was widened to 830 meters, in order to accommodate larger ships. The work was completed in time for the opening of the new [Maasvlakte](/source/Maasvlakte), the [Maasvlakte 2](/source/Maasvlakte_2).[5][6]

## See also

The [IJgeul](/source/IJgeul), a similar but smaller channel dug some years later for the [port of Amsterdam](/source/Port_of_Amsterdam).

## Sources and references

1. Natural History Museum Rotterdam article:[Eurogeul: Dredging and fishing for fossils](http://www.nmr.nl/nmr/pages/showPage.do?instanceid=14&itemid=1965&style=default), visited: 24 April 2012

1. UK Hydrographic Office [17. TRAFFIC SEPARATION SCHEMES](http://www.ukho.gov.uk/ProductsandServices/MartimeSafety/AnnualNm/17.pdf) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120824035807/http://www.ukho.gov.uk/ProductsandServices/MartimeSafety/AnnualNm/17.pdf) 2012-08-24 at the Wayback Machine, table 2: British Isles. Retrieved: 24 April 2012

1. YouTube video [MV Vale RdJ arrives in Rotterdam](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtyiNYjVDIE), watched: 14 April 2012

1. Website Ecomare: [Shipping-routes](http://www.ecomare.nl/index.php?id=4277), visited: 24 April 2012

1. Schuutevaer [Maasgeul to a width of 830 meter](http://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/zeevaart/nid17284-maasgeul-naar-830-meter-breedte.html), 25 February 2012. Visited: 24 April 2012.

1. Dredging Today: [Dutch ministry expands Maasgeul](http://www.dredgingtoday.com/2012/02/19/the-netherlands-ministry-expands-maasgeul/), 18 February 2012. Visited: 24 April 2012.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Eurogeul](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurogeul) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurogeul?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.