Rotterdam port expansion project Maasvlakte 2 progressing

Dredging at half way mark

ROTTERDAM - The construction of Maasvlakte 2, the coastal land reclamation project devised to enlarge the port of Rotterdam with a further 2,000 hectares, is progressing well.

Construction consortium PUMA is shifting large amounts of dirt for the land reclamation project, setting a new weekly volume record in late April. Eleven Boskalis and Van Oord trailing suction hopper dredgers pumped 3.8 million cubic metres of sand to the Maasvlakte 2 area in just one week, thought to be an all-time high dredging feat.

In total, the consortium has now pumped over 120 million cubic metres of liquefied dirt into the area, which will be surrounded by a dike. This volume suggests that the dredging and pumping through colossal pipes has reached its half way mark and is ahead of schedule.

Construction of the first quay wall already started in February and the building of the defense line against the North Sea on the northwest side of the new land has also begun. Here, a peninsula stretching around 3 km has been raised in recent months.

New phase

Currently, a unique crane - the ‘Blockbuster’- is being assembled and will be used to put in place large concrete blocks as part of Maasvlakte 2's sea defense line. When this work starts, the construction of Maasvlakte 2 will be entering a new phase.

Maasvlakte 1, the first leg of the huge industrial port project, was built in the 1960s and commenced operation in 1973.

Half of the 2,000 hectare spread facility been designed an industrial area with the remainder to become port infrastructure such as berths and docks, waterways, railways, and diking.