After the summer, the Van Oord – Hakkers - De Klerk consortium will commence construction of a tug quay in the Port of Rotterdam's Yangtze Canal. The consortium and the Port of Rotterdam Authority signed the relevant contracts today. The work 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, according to the company's release.
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 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. 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.
The decision to award the contract to this particular consortium is in line with the Port Authority's commitment to sustainable port development. The Port Authority based its decision 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.
Royal Van Oord is a Dutch family-owned company with more than 150 years of experience as an international marine contractor. The focus is on dredging, infrastructure and offshore energy. Its head office is in Rotterdam. Van Oord employs 5,243 staff (fte), who worked in 2022 on 191 projects in 42 countries. The fleet consists of about 60 vessels and a large amount of special-purpose and auxiliary equipment.
De Klerk operates in the field of Hydraulic & Steel Construction.