The Oosterscheldekering is sometimes called the eighth Wonder of the World. Designed in response to the North Sea flood of 1953, the signature project of the Dutch Delta Works was completed in 1986. An unprecedented storm surge barrier with 65 concrete piers and 62 gates. Eleven contractors joined forces to deliver it, including Ballast Nedam, Boskalis and Van Oord.
One of the purpose-made vessels for this project was Cardium, the behemoth on this photo. Cardium flattened the sandy seabed and unrolled massive pre-fabricated mats packed with sand, gravel and stones, so that each pier could stand rock solid for centuries. Up front sat a 44 meter wide suction arrangement, totalling about 7,000 kW of suction power that gave each mat a leveled seat. The under-mats were roughly 42 × 200 m and 36 cm thick. Handling rolls of that scale demanded tight control of speed, tension and alignment from the electrical drives and winches supporting the lay system. Careful depth measurements determined the exact shape and thickness of the layers of mats that followed. Cardium then placed those made-to-measure additional layers on top to complete the storm surge barrier's foundation.
Van der Leun delivered the electrical installation for this incredible vessel.
Once again, we celebrated our annual Christmas get-together last week, this time not with a traditional dinner, but with a festive late lunch. Somewhere between lunch and dinner, a “linner” (or “dunch”), if you will.
This year, Sinterklaas and his Pieten once again visited Ryal Van der Leun.
For Royal Van der Leun, Europort 2025 isn’t just about showcasing technology, it’s about meeting people.
