Boskalis/Van Oord win Harwich Haven dredging deal

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) has won a contract from the Harwich Haven Authority for the approach channel and inner harbor dredging works.

The contract carries a value of approximately EUR 140 million, split 50/50 between Boskalis and Van Oord.

This massive dredging project entails the deepening of the approach channel and inner harbor from minus 14.5 to minus 16 meters to allow unimpeded access of the latest generation container vessels to Harwich Haven and the Port of Felixstowe.

For this purpose a total of 15 million cubic meters of silt, sand and clay will be dredged by a jumbo trailing suction hopper dredger and a large backhoe dredger.

The dredged material will be deposited in a designated area offshore. Specialist equipment will be deployed to remove large boulders from the seabed.

According to Boskalis, the dredging activities will commence immediately with a project duration of maximum two years. The consortium of Boskalis and Van Oord will reduce its CO2 emissions significantly on this project by using a sustainable biofuel.

The company’s strategy is aimed at leveraging on key macro-economic factors that drive worldwide demand in the markets: expansion of the global economy, increase in energy consumption, global population growth and the challenges that go hand in hand with climate change. This project is driven by the trend towards larger vessels with a deeper draft to facilitate increasing global trade.