Week of 5 February
1. Ready, steady… go Brazil!
The first activities can be spotted on the Portonave site in preparation for the subsequent marine works at the Port of Navegantes in Brazil.
The team on-site is building the bund to maintain the old sheet piles wall before demolition of the existing capping beam. A capping beam is a reinforced concrete beam constructed on the top of a pile or a group of piles. It is typically used in situations where the ground is unstable or where deep excavations are necessary. The primary purpose of a capping beam is to distribute the load from the structure above evenly onto the piles, providing stability and support.
Congratulations to our team in Navegantes with the kick-off of this project!
BESIX was awarded an EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) contract a year ago in collaboration with Empresa Construtora Brasil by port terminal operator Portonave to improve the existing port infrastructure in the Port of Navegantes, in Brazil.
2. Upgraded Double Bay Wharf in Sydney open to the public (Australia)
Our BESIX Watpac colleagues recently delivered an upgraded, more accessible, and modern Double Bay Wharf at Sydney Harbour to the New South Wales transport authorities.
The Double Bay Wharf is now again open to the public and includes a new dual-sided pontoon and connecting gangway, a covered waiting area, and weather-protected seating. Access to this public transport infrastructure is now safer and step-free for customers to use, including those with additional mobility requirements, and customers with prams or luggage.
The Watpac team and its partners safely coordinated the adjacent Bay Street Road and public domain upgrades and expertly conducted the marine demolition, structural repairs, piling, and jetty construction, parallelly fitting out the new dual-sided pontoon off-site. The 168-tonne floating pontoon took six months to build and traveled 215 nautical miles from its construction site in Port Macquarie to North Sydney.
In the video below, you can admire this beautiful piece of water infrastructure.
3. Installation of space frame making headway under blue sky (Latvia)
The assembly and erection of the steel roof structure continue at the Rail Baltica Central Station site!
The very first arch was installed at the beginning of December 2023 by the BERERIX joint venture - involving BESIX, Rizzani de Eccher, and SIA RERE BŪVE. The construction of the roof structure is a major chapter in the construction of this ambitious infrastructure project.
Sending good vibes to the team in Riga for ongoing good progress on this project, in cold, but hopefully persistent sunny weather!
4. Client event on social infrastructure PPP’s in the Middle East
Last week our colleagues at BESIX Middle East hosted a wonderful IPFA* event to discuss today’s and tomorrow’s opportunities for social infrastructure PPP’s in the Gulf Cooperation Council region with many industry experts. The exchange of ideas was fruitful and demonstrated that all the fundamental building blocks are coming in place for the successful realisation of some key projects in the coming months and years.
*IPFA (International Project Finance Association) is the global professional association that connects and promotes the collective interests of both public & private sector organisations, and professional individuals involved in infrastructure and energy financing.
And then this... Introducing Liftie Swifty
The crane installed at BESIX Watpac’s St George Hospital Redevelopment project site was recently baptized ‘Liftie Swifty’ by 10-year-old Rhys, who came up with this fun name among more than 200 participants. Rhys chose the name as "the crane can lift things really swiftly."
The name will be proudly displayed on the crane, which will lift the hospital’s heaviest elements during construction. The redevelopment is expected to be completed by 2026.
