17 June 2024

Drilling under Calandkanaal completed

The horizontal directional drilling (HDD) under the Caland Canal has been successfully completed. It was a spectacular operation, both above ground and below the Calandkanaal. To cross the canal underground, two machines had to drill towards each other. At a depth of 50 metres below the canal, the drill heads ‘met’. It was a drilling that had to be done very accurately and was continuously monitored digitally as well. After this encounter, the drilled hole was enlarged with one machine by means of several reaming passes to make it large enough for the Porthos pipeline with an external diameter of over a metre (1050 mm).

A dozen telescopic cranes lifted the pipe to provide the right angle for retraction into the borehole. While retracting the tube, it got stuck. In close consultation between Porthos and DENYS, the main contractor for this part of the project, an effective solution was found and the execution team was able to successfully release the tube. The tube has now been positioned in exactly the right location and is ready for use.