Posted on May 23, 2016
ZWIJNDRECHT | Next Sunday DEME is participating again in the Open Site Day, the annual public event of the construction industry organised by the Belgian Construction Federation. As DEME’s sites are mainly on open sea, the Belgian dredging, environmental and marine engineering group is bringing two vessels to the head office in Zwijndrecht: the trailing suction hopper dredger ‘Pallieter’ and the jack-up vessel ‘Thor’. In doing so, the ‘Enterprise of the Year 2015’ offers an excellent opportunity to visit two unique vessels.
As a global company, DEME also carries out works close to home. Since 2014, the trailing suction hopper dredger ‘Pallieter’ is permanently undertaking maintenance dredging on the Scheldt to guarantee a smooth maritime passage to the Port of Antwerp. The ‘Pallieter’ is 97.5 m long and has a carrying capacity of more than 8,000 tonnes. The suction tube has an inner diameter of 1 m and dredges to a depth of 33 m. Before 2015, the ‘Pallieter’ operated on the world’s oceans from South America, Africa, the Middle East to Asia.
The jack-up vessel ‘Thor’ is a completely different type of vessel and is mostly used by DEME for the construction and maintenance of wind farms at sea. The ‘Thor’ is 107.82 m long, can accommodate a maximum of 56 crew members and in the past years it has operated in the territorial waters of Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. Thanks to four solid spud poles of 82 m long, the vessel can elevate itself out of the sea and form a stable work platform. The ‘Thor’ is equipped with a crane with a capacity of up to 500 tonnes, which is completely integrated into the hull of the ship.
During the Open Site Day both vessels are accessible via a signed route which takes about 2 hours. To guarantee the safety of all visitors, the visit is subject to strict safety measures. Pushchairs and wheelchairs are not allowed on board. Smoking is strictly prohibited anywhere on site. Children must be able to walk independently and be accompanied by an adult at all times. High heels are prohibited. All visitors will receive a safety vest.
The Open Site Day starts at 10 AM on Sunday 22 May. After 3 PM no more visitors are admitted to the site. Address: Haven 1025 – Scheldedijk 30, 2070 Zwijndrecht.
Source: Dredging International
