New scene in the history of the Seine with rented equipment Baars
The construction activities surrounding the renewal of the Vives-Eaux dam on the Seine river at Boissise-la Bertrand, a city situated in the south of Paris, were going on during a period of four years. The original dam dated from 1928 and was the last one to still be operated manually. Every year, a total of no less than 13.000 ships carrying 4 million tons of goods, pass the dam. Reason enough to see to it that the dam continues to function smoothly! Therefore, the decision was made to build a new, modern dam, consisting of three automated valves of 30 metres each and a fish ladder. This modern technology controls the water level in such a way as to guarantee the possibility of river navigation at all times.
In order to connect the two shores, a new bridge crossing the Seine was built additionally, which is open to the public. Baars had the chance to contribute to this construction by providing a modulair container pontoon. The putting into service of the new dam and the new bridge took place the 23rd of April 2018.
Another task still remained: the demolition of the old dam and bridge. Baars had the opportunity to contribute to this task, as well. This time by providing two jack-ups, self- elevating platforms. Due to the usage of these platforms, the river navigation encountered no nuisance in connection with the demolition.