Van Oord has secured the contract for the Harwich Haven approach channel and inner harbour deepening by the Harwich Haven Authority. The contract carries a value of approximately EUR 140 million, split 50/50 between Van Oord and Boskalis.
The project entails the deepening of the approach channel and inner harbour 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.
The dredging activities will commence immediately with a project duration of maximum two years. The consortium of Van Oord and Boskalis will reduce its CO2 emissions significantly on this project by using a sustainable biofuel.
