Boskalis has secured the contract for the Harwich Haven approach channel and inner harbor deepening by the Harwich Haven Authority. The contract carries a value of approximately EUR 140 million, split 50/50 between Boskalis and Van Oord, according to the company's release.
The 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.
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.
Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. is a leading global services provider operating in the dredging, maritime infrastructure and maritime services sectors. The company provides creative and innovative all-round solutions to infrastructural challenges in the maritime, coastal and delta regions of the world. With core activities such as coastal defense, riverbank protection and land reclamation Boskalis is able to provide adaptive and mitigating solutions to combat the effects of climate change, such as extreme weather conditions and rising sea levels, as well as delivering solutions for the increasing need for space in coastal and delta regions across the world. The company facilitates the development of offshore energy infrastructure, including renewable wind energy. Boskalis is furthermore active in the construction and maintenance of ports, waterways, access channels and civil infrastructure, thus helping to facilitate trade flows and regional socio-economic development. In addition, Boskalis is a global marine salvage expert and has a number of strategic partnerships in harbor towage and terminal services (Keppel Smit Towage and Smit Lamnalco). With a versatile fleet of more than 700 vessels and floating equipment and 9,600 employees, including associates, Boskalis is creating new horizons around the world.