The Antwerp-based marine contractor Scaldis completed the installation of six water intake and outlets for the Hinkley Point C Project, the first new nuclear power station to be built in the United Kingdom in over 20 years.

Construction on the project has accelerated following the subsiding of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Scaldis has installed six water intake and water outlets for the EDF and China General Nuclear Power Group-owned nuclear plant, weighing a total of 25 000 tonnes, on the seabed of the Severn and Parrett River estuaries, off the coast east of Somerset, in England. This was achieved on schedule despite challenging tidal conditions.

To achieve this, two Heavy Lift Vessels “Gulliver” and “Rambiz” were mobilised by the Belgian company, in a unique dual lift set-up. Gulliver is a 2018 DEME-built heavy-lift vessel with a length of 108 metres, and a width of 49 metres. It has a maximum tandem lifting capacity of 4 000 tonnes, with a lifting height of 78.5 metres above deck. The Rambiz has a length of 85 metres, and a width of 44 metres. With a mast of 82 metres, it has a maximum lifting capacity of 3300 tonnes. These vessels are now being demobilised and will be able to take on new projects by September.