All set for Port of Turku dredging campaign

The Port of Turku, Finland, is gearing up for the next dredging campaign during which the fairway will be improved all the way to the tip of the Ruissalo Island.

As reported by the Port of Turku, the dredging of the port fairways, including the Pansio fairway and the inner harbour, will commence when the work on the River Aura ends.

The dredging of the River Aura has been ongoing for a few months now and, sometime in April, the crews will move their attention to the port and its fairways.

“The River Aura is dredged above all to allow the access of the participants of the Tall Ships Races to Turku in the summer. The dredging of the port will ensure that the harbour basins and fairways have the promised draught for vessel traffic,” said Markku Alahäme, Technical Director of the Port of Turku.

The dredging will also be followed up by archaeologists, in case something historically valuable is found at the bottom. In 1971, the remains of a Dutch ship from the 18th century, known as the Pikisaari wreck, were found in the fairway.

The River Aura was last dredged in 2008–2009. The last maintenance dredging in the port was implemented in 2018. In the future, the plan is to carry out maintenance dredging in the port at intervals of around five years.