Rotterdam's Maasvlakte 2 project 'proceeding well'

PORT of Rotterdam authorities say the construction of Maasvlakte 2, the land reclamation project in the North Sea that will enlarge the gateway by 2,000 hectares, is "proceeding well."

This comes after 11 Boskalis and Van Oord trailing suction hopper dredgers operated by the construction consortium PUMA recently transported 3.8 million cubic metres of sand to the Maasvlakte 2 area in one week, which is thought to be a world record, a statement from port authorities said.

This achievement was followed by the spraying on of the 120 millionth cubic metre of sand, which means that half of the sand needed to complete the first phase of Maasvlakte 2 up to 2013 has now been applied.

The work is said to be on schedule after construction of the first quay wall started in February and PUMA begun building the hard sea defences on the northwest side of the new land. Here, a peninsula stretching three kilometres has been sprayed on in recent months.

At present a special crane, named the 'Blockbuster,' is being put together which will be used to position large concrete blocks as part of these sea defences. With this, the construction of Maasvlakte 2 will enter a new phase.

(Source: www.schednet.com)