Van der Vlist Bridges the Gap
Rotterdam is set for a new bridge, crossing the ‘Oude Maas’. The Botlek bridge construction, which began in 2011, recently relied upon the services of Van der Vlist at their recently AEO accredited Moerdijk terminal.
Having taken a delivery of 8 large parts, Van der Vlist were charged with storing and assisting with the assembly of these into two ‘sinker’ pieces, which are used to take data and power cables underneath the bridge when it is completed. The final pieces measured 100 metres in length, with a diameter of 1.22 metres, and weighed 265 tonnes each.
Having been assembled and stored at Moerdijk, these huge items were then taken from the Port by 3 floating cranes, to the bridge location to be installed. The bridge, set to be one of the largest moveable bridges in the world is due to be completed in 2015.
In this job, Van der Vlist were able to show their storage and stevedoring activities, providing tailor made solutions for assembly or repair jobs at their facilities. In total Van der Vlist Terminal Moerdijk has a storage capacity of 100,000m² outdoor and 20,000m² indoor. Both outdoor and indoor facilities are equipped with an overhead crane capacity of up to 40 tons.
Within the port area of Moerdijk there are no major restrictions for road transportation of out of gauge pieces and therefore Van der Vlist are able to offer their services from ‘door to door or water’ using the excellent connections by rail, road and water.