Replacing a floating tank roof on the Maasvlakte
- Location
- Maasvlakte, Rotterdam
- Year
- Recurring yearly — most recent 2026
About the project
On the Maasvlakte, DCC removed a double-deck floating tank roof that could no longer be repaired after major maintenance and had to be replaced for safety reasons. The roof weighed 500 tonnes and had a diameter of 83 metres. A key condition: the tank itself and the recently replaced base had to remain undamaged.
Tank roof replacements are a yearly recurring project for DCC: in 2026 we carried out another one.
Tight planning
The replacement was locked into the schedule: the old roof had to come out so that construction of a new roof could start on Monday. Demolition, disposal and cleaning were finished by Friday — the roof was removed within a week.
Our approach
We first created an access opening in the side of the tank for material removal. With fall protection, we then torch-cut a large circle out of the centre of the roof, after which we systematically dismantled it in sections — following a spiral pattern. Outside the tank, we cut the material down with a crawler crane and loaded it into scrap containers, so that the tank and base stayed intact.
Result
The floating roof was removed safely, on time and without damage to the tank or base — right in time for the installation of the new roof.
