Port of Rotterdam reopened to shipping traffic after leak in tunnel

The Nieuwe Waterweg in the port of Rotterdam has reopened to shipping traffic after planned work was delayed, Rijkswaterstaat reported.

Due to a leak in part of the new Maasdeltatunnel, a short circuit had occurred, causing the pumps to not work. Since Saturday, water has been pumped out of the tunnel section with the use of extra pipes and pumps. Divers have been deployed in the past 24 hours to carry out repair work, Rijkswaterstaat reports in a press release.

A leak in part of the new Maasdeltatunnel caused a short circuit, so that the pumps did not work. Since Saturday, additional pipes and pumps have been used to pump the water out of the tunnel section. In the past 24 hours, divers were deployed to carry out repair work, Rijkswaterstaat reported in a press release.

In the night from Saturday to Sunday, the divers managed to seal the leak sufficiently and stabilize the situation. This allowed the fairway to be reopened before 7 a.m., as originally announced. In the meantime, work continued, such as the placement of sand under the tunnel element for the final foundation.

The Maasdeltatunnel, which is currently under construction, is part of the Blankenburg junction. It will 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.