The Van Oord – Hakkers - De Klerk consortium will commence construction of a tug quay in the Port of Rotterdam's Yangtze Canal later this year.
The consortium and the Port of Rotterdam Authority signed have signed contracts for the work which will involve constructing 500 metres of quay wall with space for 12 tugs to berth. The project is scheduled to be completed in spring 2025.
The new tug quay will be located 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 square metres of sand and clay to widen the canal and clear space for the new quay.
The Yangtze Canal is the access channel to various Port of Rotterdam container terminals, including those in Prinses Amaliahaven, Prinses Arianehaven and Prinses Alexiahaven. It provides access for 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 program to widen the Yangtze Canal so that it can accommodate more traffic and the latest generation of container ships.
The consortium will deploy an LNG-fuelled trailing suction hopper dredger and will use equipment powered by electricity to reduce emissions significantly during construction.
Mark van der Hoeven, Area Manager at Van Oord, said: “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. 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. Not only do the three consortium partners complement one another in terms of disciplines, but we’re all equally passionate when it comes to sustainability.”