Jenkins Marine was instructed recently by Isle of Wight Council to carry out a capital dredge in the River Medina where it approaches Newport harbour to increase the depth of the navigable channel.
The full dredge length was over 500m from start point to its finish in Newport harbour.
The last time it was dredged was back in the 1970’s and current dredging operations started in early May, just after the bank holiday, and are due to be completed in the next few weeks.
In action on this project are Jenkins Marine’s multi-purpose utility vessel Doreen Dorward with long reach excavator equipped with a 3m³ bucket with a smooth blade to reduce the loading time and improve the finish.
They are accompanied by the 300m³ capacity self-propelled, split hopper barge Needles who, following completion of the work, will head into drydock for her planned full refit of the bridge and accommodation at Manor Marine, Portland.
The project is challenging as the target dredge depth is 0.8m above chart datum and the team needed to work closely with the tides to get the best dredging efficiency.