A deepening contract for the Elbe fairway in Germany has been awarded to Belgian dredging, environmental and marine engineering group, DEME. The project includes the widening and deepening of the 116 km long fairway between Cuxhaven and Hamburg to a level of -14.5 meters.
Specifically, the dredging program will enable vessels to sail River Elbe with a draught of 13.5 meters, compared to 12.5 meters that exist now.
In the meantime, the vessels will not be restricted by the tide and with a 14.5 meters draught (tide-dependent) when sailing from and towards the port of Hamburg.
The 238 million euros grant was given by The Waterways and Shipping Administration Cuxhaven (WSA Cuxhaven) to DEME Group’s subsidiaries Nordsee Nassbagger- und Tiefbau and Dredging International.
For the project, the company will use its trailing suction hopper dredgers, backhoe dredgers and spreader pontoons for the dredging, transportation and relocation of around 32 mio m³ of material.
Christopher Iwens, General Manager German Subsidiaries commented
The preparatory phase of this important project is now in full swing and is taken care of by our specialist teams located in our offices in Bremen.
