Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, and the consequent containment measures taken by national governments, the dredging industry has adapted quickly to the changing circumstances in order to guarantee the safety of their employees, and the direct project environment, and ensure that important (national) infrastructure projects can continue to be developed and maintained.
According to the Central Dredging Association CEDA’s latest release, the measures are defined and implemented by the sector as a whole (owners, partners, consultants, industry), with the aim to prevent further spreading of the virus via the project activities and to try to minimize the effect on turnover of the various businesses.
In CEDA’s region (Europe, Middle East and Africa), the dredging sector is internationally orientated and consists of a wide variety of companies, from large capital-intensive contractors, to small self-employed consultants supporting project owners with their specific knowledge and experience.
Several countries in the region are in lock-down, and international travel has largely stopped, making it challenging for companies to continue on-going projects.
“Especially in these demanding times, as CEDA we want to stress that dredging projects are often vital for the logistic networks of a country, providing access to lifesaving goods and products as well as being important for their economic growth and safety. In support of this, several countries have declared their maritime projects as essential and requested the project teams to continue with the work. Our members confirm that they are able to meet these requests and succeed in continuing their operations, taking into account social distancing and several quarantine measures to protect staff, crews and employees,” said CEDA.