Port of Zeebrugge and BESIX build a new 1,071 meter quay wall

A ceremony was held on 18 September for the start of the construction of a new 1,071 meter quay wall, an extension of the existing Bastenaken quay. This quay wall is the final missing piece that will connect the Bastenaken quay with the reverse quay at the dock's end, where International Car Operators Zeebrugge is located. When this project is finished, the largest dock in het port of Zeebrugge will be completed.

The port authority is working with BESIX for the realisation of this project. BESIX builds large-scale marine projects all over the world: jetties, quay walls, breakwaters, locks, canals and more. They also recently worked on projects in the outer and inner port in Zeebrugge.

Joachim Coens, Managing Director of MBZ: "As the largest automotive port in the world it is our responsibility as a port authority to support our port clients with the necessary infrastructure. When ICO Zeebrugge wished to expand its activities, we wanted to make sure we supplied the necessary infrastructure, both to service our port client and to safeguard our position as global leader in the handling of automotive cargo."

Rik Vandenberghe, CEO of BESIX: “The history of BESIX and the port of Zeebrugge are connected. BESIX helped rebuild the port in the aftermath of the Second World War. Since then, BESIX has helped on several occasions to extend the infrastructure further, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s. BESIX worked on the inner harbour, with the construction of the Pierre Vandamme lock, as well as on the outer harbour: breakwaters, quays, jetties, storage areas. More recently, over the last 10 years, we built the OCHZ quay and the Hanze Terminal.”