Port of Esbjerg receives permission to deepen the channel

The Port of Esbjerg has received permission from the Danish Coastal Authority to deepen Grådyb tidal inlet channel, the 21.6km long waterway from the North Sea to Esbjerg Harbor.

In order for the fairway to reach a sufficient depth, there is a need to dredge up to 3,702,000m³ of material from the entire fairway. The dredging material will be used in other projects, such as the expansion of Esbjerg Harbor’s eastern part.

The purpose of the deepening is to be able to support military mobility and to ensure the port’s ability to be a hub for large-scale offshore wind.

The last dredging campaign at Esbjerg Harbor was in 1993, and now it has become necessary to deepen the fairway again.

There is a clear difference between then and now, the port will this time deepen the fairway in a more sustainable way putting the materials dredged to use elsewhere.

The dredged sand will be used to complete the ongoing port expansion, with half million cubic meters of material to be used to construct dikes against the Wadden Sea.