Shipping traffic in Rotterdam's port stopped due to short circuit during tunnel work

The Nieuwe Waterweg in the port of Rotterdam will be closed to shipping traffic for longer on Saturday as planned work is delayed. The reason for this is a breakdown during the installation of the first tunnel section for the new Maasdeltatunnel. The shipping lane should have been open again around 10 a.m. on Saturday, but as it appears, shipping traffic will be halted at least until Sunday morning around 7 a.m., NOS reported.

The first tunnel section of the Maasdeltatunnel is now in place. But a leak at the so-called headrace, to which the second tunnel section will be connected in two weeks, has caused a short circuit, so that the pumps do not work. Rijkswaterstaat is currently working on a solution to finish the work. This will involve installing additional pipes and pumps to continue pumping water out of the tunnel section.

On Twitter, Rijkswaterstraat wrote that “Divers are working hard to plug the leak. They have already been able to close part of the leak, but we need more time. Unfortunately, shipping cannot use this part of the Nieuwe Waterweg until 7 a.m. tomorrow morning.”

According to a spokesperson for the Port of Rotterdam Authority, the situation does not lead to major congestion in shipping traffic. This is because shipping traffic had been informed in advance that the Nieuwe Waterweg would be closed for an extended period from Friday to Saturday. Barges can take a detour. Seagoing vessels that are obstructed will have to wait longer at sea before they can enter the port.

The Maasdeltatunnel, which is currently under construction, is part of the connection to Blankenburg. This is to connect the A20 freeway near Vlaardingen with the A15 near Rozenburg from 2024. The tunnel sections that will make up the tunnel are 185 and 205 meters long. According to the Port of Rotterdam Authority, tunnel sections of this size have never before been built and sunk in the Netherlands.