Commissioned by Rijkswaterstaat, Jan De Nul is conducting a practical test in the Westerschelde estuary. From June until the autumn, Jan De Nul will be bringing in a million cubic metres of North Sea sand to protect the coast against rising sea levels. During and after installation, sediment movement and what effects it has on the seabed is investigated, the Company said.
Research into sustainable replenishment
Climate change is causing sea levels to rise, which also affects the safety, nature and accessibility of the Scheldt estuary. To protect the coast and hinterland, it is necessary to nourish the coastline with sand. This allows the coast to rise with the sea level. The delivery of one million cubic metres of North Sea sand, spread over two locations, forms an important part of this.
With this practical test, Rijkswaterstaat wants to achieve two goals: to protect and nourish the coast of the Western Scheldt and to investigate how sediment moves in the Scheldt estuary. The sand replenishment should provide valuable information about the effects on safety, accessibility and nature in the area.
Three measures for lower emissions
"We are carrying out the sand replenishment with our ULEv vessels Tristão da Cunha and Diogo Cão. Their dual Ultra-Low Emission (ULEv) technology is a combination of a catalytic reduction and filter system that removes both NOx and particulate matter from the exhaust gases," Jan De Nul said.
The vessels run on 100% biofuel, which significantly reduces our CO2 emissions compared to traditional fossil fuels.
The third measure is the emission monitoring system, which allows us to know in real time how much the ships are emitting. This enables the dredging contractor to optimise its operations and further reduce emissions.