Maintaining Zeeland’s flood defences with Hitachi

A Hitachi ZX85USB-6 has been used by Dutch contractor Arco de Visser BV on a unique job site – maintaining part of a dyke on Neeltje Jans, an artificial island in Zeeland, which is largely located at or below sea level. Neeltje Jans was created to facilitate the construction of the Oosterscheldedam, a storm surge barrier that protects The Netherlands from flooding from the North Sea. It closes when the seawater rises too high and is the only one of its kind in the world.

The Hitachi compact excavator was used to maintain part of the dyke. Sea and rainwater erode the sand below concrete blocks, so a layer of stones must be laid on the sand before the concrete blocks are replaced. The ZX85USB-6 was delivered in 2021 by local Hitachi sub-dealer Pladdet, complete with several options including LED lights, a central greasing system, shoe rest, communications system, and a grapple bucket.

Operator Joël de Visser has worked on the machine for one year. “I like everything about it,” he says. “The joysticks are easy to use, and I like the radio. It’s versatile too – I also work on demolition and infrastructure projects, and preparation for sewers on job sites, with this machine. Above all, I think reliability is the best thing about Hitachi excavators.”