Van Oord’s WID Borr kicks off Bembridge dredging project

Bembridge Harbour Trust said that the dredging works in the channel inside the harbour have started.

Van Oord’s water injection dredger (WID) Borr agitates the silt on the sea bed and up into the water column. It then relies on the free energy of the ebb flow remove it.

It is an efficient and environmentally friendly way of maintaining the depth of navigation channels, ports and rivers, said Van Oord.

This method has worked well in Yarmouth, according to the Trust.

The idea is to create linear flows between the otherwise silt gathering sink holes (created by marina dredging) and out to sea.

The ultimate silt distribution in and outside the harbour remains uncertain but will soon become clearer, said the Trust.