World’s largest sea lock for Antwerp
The construction of a second lock is necessary in order to improve traffic flow to the Waaslandhaven.
The construction of the second lock in the Port of Antwerp’s Waaslandhaven is scheduled to start this month.
The Antwerp Port Authority has commissioned a Joint Venture comprising Jan De Nul NV (1/3), CEI-De Meyer and Betonac, both part of the Royal BAM Group (1/3), and Herbosch-Kiere and Antwerpse Bouwwerken, both part of Eiffage (1/3).
The construction of the new lock will be one of the largest infrastructure works in the near future in Flanders. Currently, the Waaslandhaven can only be reached by the Kallo Lock, which is working at full capacity. The construction of a second lock is therefore necessary, in order to improve traffic flow to the Waaslandhaven.
The second lock in the Waaslandhaven will be a sea lock with the same plan dimensions as the Berendrecht Lock, with a length of 500 m and a width of 68 m. The new lock will have a deeper draught than the Berendrecht Lock, making it the largest sea lock in the world.
The building consortium will start working on 24 October 2011 and the project will take approximately 53 months to complete. It is expected to be operational in 2016. During this period 800,000 m³ of concrete will be poured, 55,000 tons of reinforcement will be placed and 20,000 tons of structural steel will be incorporated into the lock gates and bridges.
The construction of the lock will be carried out on behalf of the SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle), which is a subsidiary of the newly established NV Vlaamse Havens, in which the Antwerp Port Authority is a majority stakeholder.
"The formal start of the contracting procedure for the construction of the second lock in the Waaslandhaven by the Antwerp Port Authority is an important step forward in the preparations for this crucial new infrastructure, said Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works, Hilde Crevits. “The construction of an additional large lock to improve maritime access to the left bank of the River Scheldt is of particular importance for the port of Antwerp’s competitive position in the future.”
The second lock is necessary to facilitate access to the docks on the Left Bank. Because it will be deeper than the Berendrecht Lock, in case of the same water level on the Scheldt, the lock can transfer deep draught ships to the docks behind it. In this way the available water depth in the docks complex on the Left Bank can be better utilised.
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