Towage 1st tunnel section Alara

Boluda Towage successfully towed 1st tunnel section ‘Alara’ of Maas Delta Tunnel (Blankenburgverbinding)
On Friday 31 March 2023, the first tunnel section, the ‘Alara’, of the new Maasdeltatunnel (part of the Blankenburgverbinding) has been transported to ‘Het Scheur’ (New Waterway), at Rozenburg, the Netherlands.
Despite adverse weather conditions, three tugs from Boluda Towage (Rotterdam) successfully towed the 50,000-tonne tunnel section "Alara" from Damen Verolme's dock to its destination with extreme precision.
By noon, the transport arrived at the immersion site near Rozenburg. The tunnel section was coupled via auxiliary boats to the so-called winch pontoons to keep it in position in the flowing water. Then positioning could begin for Alara's submersion moment. Finally, on Sunday 2 April, the tunnel section landed in its final position on the pre-positioned tiles at the bottom of ‘Het Scheur’.
Both the transport and the submersion are memorable moments for the construction of the Maas Delta Tunnel. Boluda Towage takes pride to contribute to this historic milestone.
Prior to the transport, intensive meetings were held with all representatives of the parties involved on the safety aspects of undocking and transport by water to the submersion site. During these moments, numerous topics were carefully discussed, including required operational preparations, procedures, nautical restrictions, and communications. The cooperation between all parties involved in the project is important because together we can ensure safe and smooth transport.
In case you missed the transport of the tunnel section, please enjoy with us this after-movie.
Weather permitting, the second tunnel element “Isabella” will be transported and submersed on Saturday 15 April. Stay tuned!
About Blankenburgverbinding
The so-called “Blankenburgverbinding” is a new motorway (the A24), connecting the A20 near Vlaardingen with the A15 near Rozenburg. Part of this motorway consists of a water tunnel, the “Maas Delta Tunnel”. The tunnel is 945 meters long.
More info on this project: blankenburgverbinding.nl/