Rambiz reinstalls lock door for the Pierre Vandamme lock

In the harbour of Zeebrugge, the heavy lift vessel Rambiz has today re-installed the renovated lock gate of the Pierre Vandamme lock. On 22 March 2018, the lock gate was disconnected, hoisted out of the water and transported to the inner port for maintenance works.

This spectacular operation took approximately 14 hours. The gate weighs 2,500 tons and has the surface of the quarter of a soccer field (66 x 11 x 25 meters).

The operation is part of the full-scale renovation of the Pierre Vandamme lock, the crucial access point to the inner port of Zeebrugge.

Maintenance works for the lock gate, lock chamber and the guide system

The temporary JV Soetaert-Jan De Nul transported the lock gate to the inner port for maintenance, where oysters and sludge were removed from the gate. The mechanical components were revised, new technologies and systems were installed and the gate received a fresh coat of paint.

In the lock itself, the lock chamber and guide system were cleaned and painted. The rails and guiding rails have been replaced.

All works have been executed according to a tight planning and within budget.