Infra

DEME is involved in marine infrastructure and civil works that complement and reinforce the company’s dredging activities. These include the design and construction of hydraulic works such as jetties, port terminals, locks and weirs; infrastructural works such as bored, immersed and cut and cover tunnels, foundation and marine works for bridges or other constructions in a marine or fluvial environment, as well as civil works for harbour construction, dams and sea defences, canal construction, revetment, quay wall construction and shore protection. We also have a specialised engineering and design department, which can assist our customers with complex infrastructure projects.

As a result of winning three large infrastructure projects in the Netherlands, we have become a leading civil contractor with a strong position in the Benelux construction market. Internationally, DEME is a partner in the Femern Link Contractors consortium (FLC) which was awarded three out of four contracts for the design and build of the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link project - a 19 km long immersed road and rail tunnel between Rødby, Lolland, Denmark and Puttgarden, Fehmarn, Germany - in 2016.

Activities:

Our infra activity line can be summarised as follows:

  1. Locks and Weirs
  2. Immersed Tunnels
  3. Bored Tunnels
  4. Cut and cover tunnels
  5. Quay Walls and Ports
  6. Marine and Inland Waterway Jetties
  7. Foundation Works (i.e. gravity-based foundations or floating structures

Locks and weirs

We can deliver both locks in canals and rivers, as well as the world’s largest sea locks. The design and construction of the New Sea Lock in Terneuzen, the Netherlands is a good example of this. This lock is 427 m long, 55 m wide and 16.44 m deep and is one of the largest locks in the world. Our expertise includes the replacement and renovation of existing locks and weirs.

Immersed tunnels

DEME has an impressive track record in the design and construction of immersed tunnels. An immersed tunnel is composed of tunnel elements, constructed elsewhere and floated to the tunnel site to be sunk into place and then linked together. They are commonly used for road and rail crossings for rivers, estuaries and sea channels/harbours. Immersed tunnels are often used in conjunction with other types of tunnels, such as a cut and cover or bored tunnel, which is usually necessary to continue the tunnel from near the water's edge to the entrance at the land surface.

In the Netherlands, we are currently involved in the DBFM contract for the ‘A24 Blankenburg Connection’ which connects the A20 and the A15 and improves access to the Rotterdam region. The scope includes the design and construction of a highway with 2 x 3 lanes, a land tunnel, a deepened connection to the A20 highway, an elevated connection to the A15 highway and the Maasdeltatunnel, as well as an immersed tunnel, which measures approximately 1,700 m, including the access ramps.

We are a partner in the Femern Link Contractors consortium (FLC) which won three out of four contracts for the design and build of the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link project - a 19 km long immersed road and rail tunnel between Rødby, Lolland, Denmark and Puttgarden, Fehmarn, Germany - in 2016.

Other historic immersed tunnels in which DEME was involved:

  • 2nd Coentunnel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • High Speed Railway tunnels, Dordrecht, The Netherlands
  • 2nd Beneluxtunnel, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
  • Piet Hein Tunnel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Rupeltunnel, Boom, Belgium
  • Kennedytunnel, Antwerp, Belgium

Bored tunnels

DEME has an impressive track record in the design and construction of bored tunnels.

As a member of the COMOL5 joint venture, in 2017  we were awarded the design, build and the 15-year maintenance contract for the Rijnlandroute, which is a new road connection from Katwijk, via the A44, to the A4 at Leiden in the Netherlands. COMOL5 is responsible for the reconstruction of the Leiden West motorway junction and the construction of the 4 km long N434 road, which includes a twin 2.25 km bored tunnel with an external diameter of 11 m.

Other historic bored tunnels in which DEME was involved:

  • Liefkenshoektunnel, Antwerp, Belgium
  • Airport tunnel – Diabolo link, Brussels Belgium
  • North-South Link, HSL, Antwerp, Belgium
  • Pannerdenschkanaal tunnel for the Betuwe Railway, The Netherlands

Cut and cover tunnels

Cut and cover is a method of construction for shallow tunnels where a trench is excavated and roofed over with an overhead support system strong enough to carry the load of what is to be built above the tunnel. We are your partner for the design and construction of such cut and cover tunnels.

Recent cut and cover tunnels in which DEME was involved:

  • Spoorzone Delft, Combination Crommelijn, Delft, The Netherlands

Quay walls and ports

The design and construction of quay walls and harbours are our core business. The immersion of caissons, as part of a quay wall, is also a specialty. We also use the more traditional methods of weight walls and combi-wall constructions. These structures are usually a part of complete solutions for port projects. We are involved in green field port developments, as well as brown field port expansion projects. Our aim is to deliver complete and integrated solutions - from design, to construction and maintenance.

Examples of these projects include:

  • Offshore Terminal Rotterdam, The Netherlands
  • Botlek Tank Terminal, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
  • Deurganckdok, Antwerp, Belgium

Marine and Inland Waterway Jetties

Marine structures such as jetties, are necessary for the logistical handling of goods and materials in ports along waterways as well as for handling LNG, oil and bulk commodities.

We are a specialist in the design and construction of maritime structures. Our specialists can advise you and resolve your logistic issues concerning existing marine assets or those that are due to be constructed. Additionally in the Benelux, we can assist you with all the necessary permit procedures. We can design nautical simulations for ship movements or for mooring at jetties or quay walls.

Examples of jetty projects:

  • Two jetties LNG Terminal Rotterdam, Maasvlakte, The Netherlands
  • Jetty LNG Terminal, Dunkirk, France
  • Jetty European Tank Terminal, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
  • Jetty Abengoa Terminal, Rotterdam, Maasvlakte, The Netherlands
  • Jetty Vopak Terminal, Amerikahaven, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Foundation works

Stable constructions always start with a firm foundation and work often begins with piling, drilling or driving piles. We are experts in concrete piles or tubular, steel piles from small to large diameters or dimensions. This requires special skills and knowledge of the specific conditions in ports, along coastlines or in waterways. We have an abundant amount of this expert knowledge and experience  in-house.

We can assist with regular foundation works or those that are in more challenging environments,  on land and on water. Whatever your requirements we have the sophisticated and dedicated equipment and expert personnel.

We also provide construction elements for the foundation of wind turbines. Together with our other activity lines we can organise the specialised transport and manage the immersion of these elements.

Our expertise:

  • Combi-walls
  • Precast concrete piles
  • Piling on land and water
  • Steel sheet piles, tubular steel piles
  • Own equipment with specialised personnel

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