In 1823, when Belgium was still part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, King William I decided to extend the Sassevaart to Terneuzen. The route ran from Ghent to Sas van Gent, mainly through the old bed of the Sassevaart. The canal ran from Sas from Ghent to Terneuzen through a salt marsh area (the Braeckmaninham, the Sassegat and the Axelse Gat). Two locks were built in Terneuzen: one of 8 meters and one of 12 meters wide. Four years later, the channel was officially opened. The canal was then 4.5 meters deep to Sas van Gent and 2.5 meters deep to Ghent. The width of the canal was 10 meters at the bottom and 24 meters at water level. On the occasion of the opening, there were festivities in Terneuzen, Sas van Gent and Ghent, and in Ghent, moreover, a free bread distribution for the poor. A commemorative medal, the ‘Cracker’, was struck in gold, silver and bronze. Between 1830 and 1841 there was no navigation through the Canal from Ghent to Terneuzen, because the Netherlands deWestern Scheldt had been cordoned off after Belgium’s independence. Near Zelzate, the Belgian General Niellon placed poles in the water to prevent Dutch ships from reaching Ghent. The canal silted up. It was not until 1841, after the canal had been dredged, that shipping on the canal got going again.