Antwerp’s Deurganck dock development attracts interest

The €382m lock project, partly funded by the EU TEN-T Programme, is Antwerp’s response to the challenge of catering for anticipated increases in volume and size of ships using Waasland Port, on the left bank of the Scheldt. The area is accessible via the Kallo Lock (operational since 1979), which is now reaching the limits of its capacity. Ship operators and agents have stated for some years that waiting times have occasionally reached the limits of what is acceptable: hence the decision to build the second lock, wider, longer and deeper than the Kallo lock. The subsequent eventual two locks on the Scheldt’s left bank will compare to the six locks on the right bank at Antwerp.

As is common with projects of such scale, construction was assigned to a consortium, THV Waaslandsluis, comprising of Jan De Nul NV, CEI De Meyer NV, NV Betonac, Herbosch-Kiere NV and Antwerp Construction SA. The aim is for completion of the lock by 2016, with work comprising five main components: preparatory work including re-routing of pipes, roads and a railway line; construction of the lock itself including removal of an estimated 4.7million m3 of sand, concreting the lock’s L-shaped side walls, lock heads, gate recesses, cellars and culverts; construction of associated buildings; dredging of access channels on both sides of the lock and installation of associated access roads and railways.

FUTURE-PROOFED

The dimensions and numbers associated with the lock give a clear indication that it is intended to be future proof. The lock will be 500m long and 68m wide with 20,000 tonnes of structural steel and 740,000m3 of reinforced concrete. Construction started late in 2011, early 2012 seeing the erection of a water screen. Excavation of the trench has a two year time slot (completion this year) with concreting starting in late 2012 and continuing until 2015. Metal construction continues into 2016 along with other construction works and dredging.

MSC is already Antwerp’s largest container customer, the company handling around 4.6m TEU in 2012. The Port Authority is now organising an invitation for expressions of interest “in an open and transparent way”, in order to determine whether in addition to MSC there are other significant market opportunities of a similar nature. Both Antwerp and its larger near-neighbour Rotterdam reported a slight downturn in the number of containers handled in 2013 of -0.7% and -2.1% respectively. Trends can change quickly however compared with timescales of ensuring port infrastructure is capable of satisfying the demand while remaining efficient. Antwerp’s Deurgancksluis project (and Rotterdam’s Maasvlakte 2) indicate both ports’ bullish assessment of potential future prospects.

By Peter Barker