Week of 5 May
1. Oxagon team successfully hands over quay wall in the port of NEOM (Saudi Arabia)
Our team in Oxagon at the port of NEOM (Saudi Arabia) has reached a key milestone! They successfully completed the T1 quay wall and handed it over to the client just in time for the arrival of the ship-to-shore container cranes on 1 May. The team is now turning its full attention to wrapping up the remaining works by August. Congratulations, team Oxagon!
The port of NEOM development project includes the design and build of over three kilometres of quay walls, upgrading facilities, and installing advanced port equipment.
2. Archimedes' principle at work in dry dock of Scheldt Tunnel elements (Belgium)
Last week, the COTU consortium - of which BESIX is part - reached another important step in the construction of the Scheldt Tunnel. In Zeebrugge, the first tunnel element was carefully brought to the surface in the dry dock that had been flooded two weeks earlier. Each element has five ballast tanks that allow it to rise and be immersed in a controlled way. This time, the water was pumped out slowly to make it float, as you can see in the pictures below!
The next big move? Breaching the dyke of the dock and transporting the elements to Antwerp via the North Sea and the Scheldt River, starting 19 May. By the end of the year, all eight tunnel sections will be in place beneath the Scheldt, forming a key part of the Oosterweel Link and closing the northern section of the Antwerp Ring. Exciting!
3. Assembly of formwork traveller for Nordhavn Tunnel (Denmark)
In Copenhagen (Denmark), the BESIX - MT Højgaard Danmark team is hard at work for the Nordhavn Tunnel, a 1.4-kilometre-long cut-and-cover tunnel including a 700-metre stretch beneath the harbour. Several tunnel walls have already been cast and cured and the team is now preparing to cast the roof slab. To facilitate this, they’re assembling a formwork traveller, an impressive structure that moves along rails to support the concrete works as the tunnel takes shape. Go, team Nordhavn!
4. Spectacular tower crane installation by Vanhout (Belgium)
In Antwerp (Belgium), Vanhout is renovating the main buildings of the city’s Flemish Administrative Center (also known in Dutch as ‘VAC’). Last week, a tower crane was installed right on the roof of the tallest building. With the structure rising 17 floors and limited space available at ground level, placing the crane on the roof was the most practical solution. Watch the video below to see how the installation went by.
And then this... BESIX Watpac is named top builder by ‘The Australian’ newspaper
Great news from Australia! Our BESIX Watpac colleagues have been named ‘Top Builder’ in the BCI construction league report, as featured in The Australian. This recognition follows an outstanding year in 2024, which marked a key turning point for the company. BESIX Watpac achieved its highest-ever value of converted projects. This recognition is a real credit to the hard work and commitment of the entire team. Click the picture below to read more. Congratulations, colleagues!
