Exotic FSC-certified Greenheart as rubbing board

In the coming years, numerous measures will be taken in the area between the villages of Ooijen and Wanssum in northern Limburg to improve water safety: the Old Meuse arm will be reactivated, dikes will be moved and two high-water channels will be built. In Wanssum, the port will also be expanded and a ring road constructed. Contractor combination Mooder Maas called on Hupkes Houthandel Dieren to supply FSC-certified Groenhart for the new rubbing purlin on the bank construction.

In an area as large as 60 km² is being tackled by Mooder Maas, a combination of Dura Vermeer and Ploegam, to address the high-water problems. The area development is divided into six sub-projects. In order to promote high-water safety and livability in Wanssum, among other things, the dikes will be raised, a new bridge over the Molenbeek River will be constructed, and the current N270 will be converted to a low-traffic situation. In April 2018, work began on the flood defenses in the industrial port of Wanssum.

Friction belts
The industrial harbor was expanded and completely provided with a bank construction. "The new sheet pile walls were installed from the water, after which the old bank structures and dam were removed," explains Stefan Meinhardt of Hupkes Houthandel Dieren. "The space behind the new sheet pile walls was backfilled with clay and sand. To complete the water barrier, a concrete water barrier has been placed, which is partially inside the dike. To anchor the sheet piling, anchors were drilled into the body of the dike." To protect the boats from the hard material of the new levee structure, friction purlins were installed. "The rubbing purlins are made of sustainably produced and certified Groenhart that met the requested and calculated strength requirements as set by our client Mooder Maas," says Meinhardt.

The rubbing posts were already fitted with steel shoes at the yard in Dieren, so that on site in Wanssum it was just a matter of welding.

FSC-certified forest concession
Groenhart originates from Guyana (the old British Guiana) and, according to Meinhardt, performs as well as the well-known wood species Azobé. "So that was part of the deciding factor for Mooder Maas to choose Groenhart. The wood comes from an FSC-certified forest concession in Guyana and was imported by us. Incidentally, we always have a large stock of 100% FSC-certified Groenhart at our premises in Dieren. The intended rub posts and purlins can be cut and machined entirely to customer specifications and in all kinds of dimensions. At Mooder Maas' request, we have already provided the rub posts with steel shoes at our yard in Dieren, so that on site in Wanssum it was only a matter of welding to complete the work."

As mentioned, the expansion of the industrial port is only part of the integral area development. Work began in late 2017 and by 2020 the entire project will be completed and the high-water problems for Ooijen-Wanssum will be a thing of the past.