Modular Pontoon Systems BV (MPS) recently delivered a 54,86m x 21,95m sectional pontoon to Belgium based contractor DEME – part of the Sassevaart consortium.
The modular pontoon is used to utilize two Liebherr HS 895 HD crawler cranes for the dredging activities necessary for the construction of the new Terneuzen lock.
The lock complex in Terneuzen, with three locks, provides access to the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal and is a crucial link in the Seine-Scheldt connection. To combat future capacity problems, a large New Lock is being built at the location of the existing Middle Lock (built in 1910).
427 m long, 55 m wide and 16.44 m deep, the lock will become one of the largest in the world, similar in size to the locks in Antwerp, Amsterdam and Panama.
The first ship is expected to pass through the New Lock in late 2022.
The design, construct and two-year maintenance contract was awarded to the Dutch-Belgian consortium Sassevaart.
As a member of Sassevaart, DEME’s extensive scope of work includes, but is not limited to earthworks, dredging works, a total of about 10 million m³ of soil, and bank and bottom protection.