2023-10-09 15:58:00
On June 3, the collapse of a door of the only ferry still in operation on the Ronquières inclined plane caused a halt to river navigation on the Brussels-Charleroi canal. The site was completely shut down for several weeks, the operation to remove the damaged door requiring the deployment of a special crane.
This Monday, in the mobility and energy committee, MP François Desquesnes returned to this incident which caused numerous problems, particularly logistical ones, for the various companies that use river transport. Last June, the Sonegian deputy called for an independent investigation and Minister Henry indicated “that it included a factual investigation into the break in the cable which occurred on the upstream door of tank 1, including analyzes of laboratories on the cables in question to identify the direct cause of their rupture.”
Traffic at the Inclined Plane interrupted for several weeks.
An interim report was expected for September 2023 but has unfortunately not yet reached the minister’s desk.
No control process?
The question of control procedures for works of art was also raised. The Minister then indicated that “the temporary company SECO-GREISCH was carrying out an inspection of all the hydraulic structures within the framework of the aforementioned contract and that this inspection will be the zero inspection serving as a basis for future inspections to be carried out by the SPW MI according to a frequency specific to each type of work”.
The MP wondered this Monday regarding this response: “Should I conclude that there is no maintenance procedure manual for the various structures of the Walloon river network? I have a little trouble believing it! How is it possible ? What regarding other structures such as, for example, the Center aqueduct or the giant Strépy-Thieu elevator? Do they have maintenance manuals and procedures?”
To date, Minister Henry has confirmed that there is no systematic reporting related to hydraulic works. “In 2021 a market was launched by the Walloon Region in order to try to find a solution to this situation which has persisted for several legislatures,” indicated Philippe Henry. “The idea is to establish common regulations for all hydraulic engineering structures to better manage them.”
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