A major milestone has been reached in the construction of the Scheldt Tunnel in Zeebrugge. Following the controlled flooding of the construction dock—during which the ballast tanks of the tunnel elements were filled and the elements sealed with temporary bulkheads—the dock has now been submerged.

The next phase, floating the tunnel elements, has successfully begun. By carefully pumping out the ballast tanks, each tunnel element is gradually brought to the surface. Once an element is afloat, it is moved using winches to the quay, where final preparations are made for transport to Antwerp.

Using four tugboats and one push boat, the tunnel element will be transported via the North Sea, the Western Scheldt, and the Scheldt River to Antwerp. There, the elements will be temporarily moored in the Doeldok, where final preparations will be carried out before submersion later this year.

The first tunnel element has already been successfully floated and is now docked at the quay, undergoing final preparations for transport. Once complete, it will be handed over to the party responsible for its sea transport to the temporary staging area in the Doeldok.

Commissioned by TM COTU and client Lantis, IMMONTEC will repeat this process in the coming period, following a cycle of approximately one tunnel element every two weeks.