Special topic
River and maritime works

Not as well-known as underground structures, river and maritime works are a strategic activity for Bouygues Travaux Publics. Overview of ongoing projects.

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A strategic business sector

First of all, let me clarify what we mean by TFM. River and maritime works, commonly referred to as TFM for "travaux fluviaux et maritimes", span a wide range of structures including quays, breakwaters, piers, ports, offshore extensions, dams or barrages and even bridges. The boundaries between these can be tenuous, but ultimately what they all have in common is water. Ironically, TFM works are mostly carried out on land where it is easier to control manufacturing quality and equipment costs. Bouygues Travaux Publics has a long track record in this sector and, for several years, has focused on opportunities for major contracts, by tendering through joint ventures with its long-standing partner, Bouygues Offshore, which went on to become Saipem.

Seafront Promenade in Beirut (Lebanon, 2000)

It was not until 2015 that Bouygues Travaux Publics decided to position TFM as a strategic business line alongside underground works and bridges. Because TFM gives us more scope for submitting alternatives in our proposals during the tender stage, we are in a position to make full use of our creativity by promoting our design capabilities. That is why it is important for us to grow so that we have a full spectrum of in-house skills. It is our capacity to provide comprehensive solutions to all sorts of issues such as materials management, eco-design, and structural studies - during both the design and works phases - that makes us a key player in river and maritime works today.

Chatou River Dam (France, 2013)
Testimonial
Christophe Portenseigne
Technical Director at Bouygues Travaux Publics
We have a long track record in river and maritime works, involving exciting human adventures and many flagship projects. I am thinking, for example, of the Beirut Seafront (Lebanon), the three ports in Tangier (Morocco), and, more recently, the Chatou River dam (Greater Paris).
Calais Port 2015

The Calais port extension project, which was launched in 2015, is the largest port project in Europe and a veritable shop window for the know-how of Bouygues Travaux Publics. The purpose of this large-scale project is to create a new ferry terminal for Calais-Dover crossings, adapting the existing infrastructure to the increase in maritime traffic. The first phase of works involved reclaiming 45 hectares of land from the sea by means of substantial dredging works carried out by our partner Jan De Nul. More than 4 million cubic metres of sand were extracted from the bottom of the future basin to deepen it and at the same time form the future platform. Construction of the 3.2 km breakwater, the project's iconic structure, is now complete.

The breakwater is protected by Xblocs®, large precast concrete units. The cope wall protects the new basin from wave overtopping. After this first phase of works, we are beginning a second phase. It is complex as it is less linear and made up of a variety of earthworks, networks, civil works, and building activities. No fewer than 32 buildings and 8 bridges need to be built, along with the associated road and utility services. Meeting the schedule for a planned January 2021 delivery is our primary focus.

Monaco Offshore Extension

The Monaco offshore extension project, carried out by the S.A.M. L’Anse du Portier / Bouygues Travaux Publics-Monaco consortium, reflects the ability of Bouygues Travaux Publics to manage technically complex in sensitive environmental areas. The worksite is located near the Larvotto marine reserve and the Spélugues coral reef. To protect the marine life, preparatory environmental works were launched in September 2016, moving 143 fan shells and transplanting 518 square metres of posidonia (marine plants). This delicate phase is now complete, and we are monitoring the adaptation of the species to their new environment on a daily basis.

We are currently in a new phase of the project involving the launch of infrastructure works. Removal of the rock base has been completed, and we have prepared the fill material to be used as a foundation for the caissons forming a protective belt around the future extension. In September 2017, we also started pre-casting caissons in Marseille-Fos Port. A distinctive feature of the project is that these large reinforced concrete units are produced using the Marco Polo floating dock, a unique prototype in Europe. The first caisson, inaugurated at the end of July in Monaco, was placed in its final location in mid-September. It will be followed by the 17 others at a rate of approximately one every two weeks.

15 caissons 
already produced
7/7   24/24
Marco Polo, floating factory
Regional activities

In 2017, river and maritime works accounted for over 25% of business at Bouygues Travaux Publics Regions France (Bouygues TP RF). Our success is due to two key factors: organisation and diversity. When Bouygues TP RF was established in 2010, the decision was made to give river and maritime works a long-term structure. This strategy is now paying off with expertise centred around three business activities: bank stabilisation and sheet pile driving; construction of predominantly valve-based dams; and port projects. Bouygues TP RF has become a major player in the quay construction sector in France, winning several significant contracts over the past three years.

Breakwater for the port of Brest (France, 2018)

These successes can also be attributed to the diversification of our expertise; this allows us to tender for technically varied projects and thus meet our clients' expectations and requirements. Projects such as the Flanders quay extension in the port of Dunkirk and the breakwater construction for the port of Brest demonstrate the effectiveness and relevance of pooling our earthworks, civil works, and pile-driving operations. Thanks to this alliance, Bouygues TP RF is more competitive and can put forward more appropriate and comprehensive technical bids.

Dunkerque (France, 2018)
Testimonial
Patrick Hoguet
CEO of Bouygues Travaux Publics Régions France
River and maritime works will continue to offer strong business potential in the coming years in France. I am thinking in particular of the Port-la-Nouvelle breakwater and quay in the Aude department, projects for which we can leverage the expertise gained in the port of Calais. We can be sure that our dedicated organisational structure and complementary areas of expertise will enable us to remain competitive in this market over the long-term.
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