After the summer, a consortium of Van Oord, Hakkers and De Klerk will commence construction of a tug quay in the Port of Rotterdam’s Yangtze Canal. The work involves constructing 500 metres of quay wall with space for twelve tugs to berth.
The consortium and the Port of Rotterdam Authority signed the relevant contracts on 19 June. The project is scheduled to be completed in spring 2025.
Van Oord, Hakkers and De Klerk will construct the new tug quay at the entrance to the canal on the south side, close to the largest container terminals. In addition to the 500 metres of quay wall, which will take the form of a composite wall, the consortium is also responsible for removing the existing bed and bank protection, installing new bed protection and dredging approximately 800,000 m2 of sand and clay to widen the canal and clear space for the new quay.
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Yangtze Canal
To accommodate the growing volume of traffic, ports and waterways must be expanded and maintained. The Yangtze Canal is the access channel to various Port of Rotterdam container terminals, including those in Prinses Amaliahaven, Prinses Arianehaven and Prinses Alexiahaven. The Yangtze Canal welcomes the largest container ships travelling to and from terminals in the Maasvlakte II section of the port.
Construction of tug quay is part of a programme to widen the Yangtze Canal so that it can accommodate more traffic and the latest generation of container ships.
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Sustainability goals
The Port Authority based its decision to award the contract to the consortium on both price and quality, also known as the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). Working with MEAT principles helps to leverage the innovativeness and creativity of the market.
The Van Oord – Hakkers – De Klerk consortium received very high marks for measures designed to prevent nuisance and damage. It will also make a substantial effort to improve sustainability on the construction site itself. This includes deploying a trailing suction hopper dredger equipped to operate on the more sustainable fuel LNG, and using equipment powered by electricity to reduce emissions significantly during construction.
‘Ever since Van Oord undertook land reclamation for the Maasvlakte 2 port expansion programme, it’s been involved in projects there on a continuous basis,’ says Mark van der Hoeven, Area Manager at Van Oord. ‘For example, we’re currently also constructing quays in Amaliahaven. So we’re very much looking forward to working for the Port of Rotterdam Authority and in partnership with Hakkers and De Klerk on the Yangtze Canal, a familiar waterway for us.’
Picture: The Yangtze Canal (by Van Oord).
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