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Consortium chosen for construction of Maasvlakte 2

The Port of Rotterdam Authority has announced its intention to award the contract for construction work on Maasvlakte 2 to the consortium PUMA, which is made up of the companies Koninklijke Boskalis Westminster nv and Van Oord nv. The contract will be signed at the beginning of next year.

The consortium PUMA (Maasvlakte expansion project organisation) will construct the first section of Maasvlakte 2 between 2008 and 2013. The work involves construction of the sea defences, the first port sites, 2.5 kilometres of quay and the road and rail infrastructure necessary for providing access to Maasvlakte 2. Following delivery, the consortium will also be responsible for maintenance work on Maasvlakte 2 for the first five years. The contract is worth around € 1 billion.

This intention to award the contract means that construction of Maasvlakte 2 is on schedule. It will take the next six months to complete the licensing procedures, so that a start can be made on the actual construction after the summer of 2008. Delivery of the first container terminals will then take place in 2013. The Port Authority had already signed contracts with various stevedoring companies to set up business on Maasvlakte 2.

European tender
When inviting tenders for the construction work on Maasvlakte 2, the Port Authority followed a European tendering procedure. This procedure took over two years. During this period, both the chosen consortium and the Dredging International - Jan de Nul consortium developed their own, different designs. These were tested in terms of their strength and feasibility by independent laboratories. In dialogue with the Port Authority, the designs presented by the consortiums were further optimised. This resulted in two high-calibre tenders, which met all the quality and environmental criteria imposed. In the final phase of the tendering process, price and construction time were the decisive factors.

Design & Construct
The contract for the construction of Maasvlakte 2 is a Design & Construct contract. The contractor executes the design he himself has made on the basis of the client's Programme of Requirements. In this way, risks relating to design, construction and maintenance, but also the areas where the work overlaps, are all covered by the contracted party. This party is also in the best position to control the risks involved in the construction and maintenance of such a large project.

Port of Rotterdam Authority

Page updated at: 07-07-2009