Week of 21 April 2025
1. Scheldt Tunnel elements slowly disappeared under water (Belgium)
Over the past 2 years, BESIX and its COTU joint-venture partners constructed the eight massive Scheldt Tunnel elements in a specially constructed dry dock in Zeebrugge (Belgium). Two weeks ago, they started flooding the dock and just a few days later, the elements disappeared under water. In total, around 800,000 m³ of water was used. This is about the same as 320 Olympic-sized swimming pools!
Next month, they will begin their journey to Antwerp, one by one, where they will be immersed and connected in their final position in the river Scheldt. By the end of this year, all 8 tunnel elements are expected to be in place!
2. Work on Rail Baltica Riga Central Station resumed (Latvia)
Good news from our team in Latvia! This month, work on the Rail Baltica central station in Riga is back in full swing, thanks to funding from the European Recovery Fund, CEF, and the Latvian state. The focus is now on section 2B, covering the façades, MEP, and finishing works for the southern part of the station. Congratulations, team Latvia!
Major construction is set to wrap up by autumn 2026, with the station ready to welcome passengers by summer 2027. Alongside the station, the project also includes a major railway bridge over the River Daugava, new railway embankments, and track works. This is all part of a broader initiative that aims to integrate the Baltic States into the European railway network.
3. Jacques Delens delivers social housing project in Brussels (Belgium)
After three and a half years of hard work, our colleagues at Jacques Delens have wrapped up the major renovation of the Vandeuren social housing district in Ixelles, Brussels. Together with Artes TWT, they transformed 160 existing homes into 132 fully renovated units, with a strong focus on circularity and heritage preservation. The result looks fantastic! Take a look at the video below to see how the transformation came to life. Congratulations, colleagues!
4. Structural work military aircraft hangar completed (Australia)
In northern Adelaide, our BESIX Watpac colleagues have hit an exciting milestone on the Deep Maintenance and Modification Facility (DMMF) project. The team has completed the structural steel work for the four-bay hangar, while the 14,000 m² roof is rapidly moving towards completion. With around 150 workers on site each day, the team is busy with rough-in works across the hangars, offices, and workshop areas, while final connections are being made to the live runway at the nearby Defence RAAF Base. Great work, team!
The DMMF is designed to accommodate the specialist maintenance of Australia’s Boeing 737-variant military aircraft. And it was recently confirmed it will also service aircraft from the United Stated and New Zealand!
And then this... Raising money for Kom Op Tegen Kanker (Belgium)
In March, our BESIX Engineering team in Brussels held their annual fundraising quiz in support of Kom Op Tegen Kanker, a cause that fights for the rights of (former) cancer patients and promotes a healthy living environment. Once again, the event was a big success and we’re proud to share that €1,600 was raised for the organisation. A huge thank you to everyone who took part and contributed!
