ROEROORD

The Roeroord sand-wheel pontoon was initially built for the deepening of the Zandmaas. The installation on board of this pontoon removes the sludge and overly coarse materials from the sand and gravel dredged up from the bottom of the river Maas.

A special feature of the Roeroord is that it has been made suitable for explosion-proof dredging. Explosives were found in various locations while dredging the river Maas. In response to the discovery of these conventional explosives, Martens en Van Oord developed a unique secure working method. The Roeroord sand-wheel pontoon was converted and secured for this task. The sand drawn up from the bottom is transported through a reinforced pipe and sieved. A magnet is used to remove all the parts containing iron, including the explosives. These are collected in a secured container and removed.

Because of this working method, Martens en Van Oord is certified under the WSCS-OCE. By obtaining the certificate, Martens en Van Oord can from now on perform dredging work safely in ‘suspect’ areas using the Roeroord sand-wheel pontoon.

MvO Specification sheet Roeroord.pdf