Jan De Nul contributes to the Oosterweel Link in Antwerp

THV COTU is composed of the Belgian construction groups Besix, BAM Contractors, DEME and Jan De Nul nv.

Known as the jewel in the crown of this crucial infrastructure project, the Scheldt tunnel will be the most important connecting element in the Oosterweel link and closes the Antwerp Ring Road on the north side. The tunnel has a total length of 1,800 m and will be built according to the ‘immersed tube’ method.

Eight tunnel elements of approximately 60,000 tonnes each will be built in the inner port of Zeebrugge and then towed to Antwerp via the North Sea and the Western Scheldt, where they will be immersed in a pre-dredged trench in the River Scheldt.

This technique, in which gravity and the upward force of water are constantly competing with each other, is one of the most ingenious building methods in concrete and hydraulic construction. THV COTU is well aware of the challenges that such a project brings with it in a technically difficult environment such as the Scheldt in Antwerp. But the partners are confident that they have the necessary expertise and decades of experience to successfully achieve the realisation of this vital stage of the Oosterweel link project.

The contract has a value of 570 million euro (excl. vat). The first preparatory work will start in the autumn of 2020. Construction work for the tunnel itself will begin after the summer of 2021.