The waterways of North Brabant need to be smooth and safe for all-year navigation. But many of the civil structures constructed in the region in the 1950s and 1960s are now in need of maintenance or replacement. The increase in inland shipping and the intensive load on bridges and sluices led Rijkswaterstaat to appoint contractor DEME Infra to carry out maintenance work from April 2022 onwards.
Replacing fendering and guideways,
Nauta Heeg was in turn appointed by DEME Infra to replace the existing fendering and guideways on the Wilhelmina sluice, also known as the Andel sluice. Temporary floats were installed during the works, and part of the new fendering was completed at the same time. This ensured that waiting areas remained available for both recreational and commercial shipping.
Plastic and hardwood
All structures were transported by pontoon from Heeg. The guideways are clad in plastic and the fendering in hardwood to ensure that vessels, and the steel structure itself, are less susceptible to damage in the event of collision. The remaining fendering and guideways on the northern and southern sides were replaced and refurbished in autumn 2022. All work was completed by early 2023 and caused little to no inconvenience to local residents, shipping or road traffic.
