Fugro wraps up Richards Bay work

Fugro has completed a geotechnical site characterisation project for DRA Global as part of the proposed expansion of the port of Richards Bay in South Africa.

The very soft soils encountered at depths of more than 40m below seafloor required an innovative solution for positioning the two geotechnical drill rigs safely, so Fugro mobilised two modular self-elevating platforms (SEPs) to acquire high-quality Geo-data in a wide range of water depths. 

Cobus Rossouw, Principal Marine Engineer at DRA Global, said: “Fugro performed well under difficult circumstances, including challenging site conditions and intense focus on environmental management in sensitive areas, all while working in an operational port.”

“Their robust safety management systems resulted in an investigation completed without a single lost time incident (LTI).”

DRA Global recently contracted Fugro to acquire critical seabed Geo-data required for the completion of preliminary engineering and design works.

The project began with a cross-continental mobilisation of marine assets from Bangladesh and UAE to Richards Bay and was safely delivered despite challenging ground conditions and ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.