Jan De Nul Contributes To The Oosterweel Link In Antwerp

Lantis, the project developer responsible for the prestigious ‘Oosterweel link’, which will complete the Antwerp Ring Road, has awarded the contract for the construction of the Scheldt tunnel to the “Tijdelijke Handelsvereniging Combinatie Oosterweeltunnel” (THV COTU) consortium on 3rd June 2020.

THV COTU is composed of the Belgian construction groups Besix, BAM Contractors, DEME and Jan De Nul nv.

Known as the jewel in the crown of this crucial infrastructure project, the Scheldt tunnel will be the most important connecting element in the Oosterweel link and closes the Antwerp Ring Road on the north side. The tunnel has a total length of 1,800 m and will be built according to the ‘immersed tube’ method.

Image Credits: jandenul.com

Eight tunnel elements of approximately 60,000 tonnes each will be built in the inner port of Zeebrugge and then towed to Antwerp via the North Sea and the Western Scheldt, where they will be immersed in a pre-dredged trench in the River Scheldt.

This technique, in which gravity and the upward force of water are constantly competing with each other, is one of the most ingenious building methods in concrete and hydraulic construction.

Image Credits: jandenul.com

THV COTU is well aware of the challenges that such a project brings with it in a technically difficult environment such as the Scheldt in Antwerp. But the partners are confident that they have the

necessary expertise and decades of experience to successfully achieve the realisation of this vital stage of the Oosterweel link project.

The contract has a value of 570 million euro (excl. vat). The first preparatory work will start in the autumn of 2020. Construction work for the tunnel itself will begin after the summer of 2021.

Press Release

Source: Maritime Shipping News