Bezemers Winches Involved in Positioning Maasdeltatunnel
Winch supplier, Bezemer, supplied six linear winches, capable of providing a total of 3300 metric tonnes of pulling force to work simultaneously on one project, the positioning of the second tunnel element of the Maasdeltatunnel. This tunnel crosses the river Scheur, creating a new river crossing in the Rotterdam region and improving accessibility. The tunnel element consists of two tubes with three lanes each and has a total length of 205 m and a weight of 56,000 tons.
To control this volume and weight in the currents of the river, six linear winches were utilised, with pulling capacities varying from 400 to 800 tonnes. The element had to be positioned between the already submerged 1st element and the entrance ramp on the north side. This means that the 205 m element should be placed accurately to the centimetre. Once in this position, the tunnel element was gradually submerged by pumping water into its ballast tanks. The winches continuously made small adjustments to the element’s position until it was perfectly aligned. The project shows the versatile deployment of Bezemer’s linear winches, which are often used for offshore work but are also very suitable for various applications in infrastructural projects. The Maasdeltatunnel will open at the end of 2024.