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| Major contract for construction of second lock at Waaslandhaven The Municipal Port Authority of Antwerp has commissioned a joint venture, consisting of the five companies Jan De Nul (1/3), CEI-De Meyer and Betonac (which both form part of Royal BAM Group; 1/3) and Herbosch-Kiere and Antwerpse Bouwwerken (which both form part of Eiffage; 1/3) to construct a second lock in the Waaslandhaven on the left bank of the River Scheldt. The contract value is in excess of €272 million, excluding VAT. The construction of a new lock in the Waaslandhaven will be one of the largest infrastructure projects in Flanders during the next few years. At present, the Waaslandhaven is only accessible for shipping via the Kallosluis lock, which has more or less reached its maximum capacity. A second lock is needed in the Waaslandhaven in order to allow shipping traffic there to continue to expand. The second lock in the Waaslandhaven will be a sea lock, with the same dimensions as the Berendrechtsluis lock, currently the largest in the world - 68 metres wide, and 500 metres long. The new lock will be deeper than the Berendrechtsluis, thereby making it the world's largest once it is completed. The joint venture will start the construction work on 24 October 2011. The project is expected to take 53 months, during which time 800,000 m³ of concrete will be poured, 55,000 tons of reinforcing steel put in place, and 12,000 tons of steel used for building the lock gates and bridges. write your comments about the article :: © 2011 Construction News :: home page |