The construction of a new terminal in the outer area of the Port of Gothenburg has started. Phase 1 started with piling earlier in the week. The 220,000 square metre terminal will be constructed using dredge spoils contained by an embankment, and is scheduled to be completed around 2025.
The terminal will cover an area of 220,000 square metres and will be built using 350,000 cubic metres of dredge spoils from the river, the Göta Älv. The spoils come from routine dredging conducted to maintain the water depth.
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The dredge spoils and the river are contaminated with various substances, including TBT, tributyltin. Until 2008, TBT was an antibiocide component in antifouling paints used for the hulls of ships and boats before research showed that it was toxic to the marine environment.
The spoils are located in an embanked area in the Arendal Bay and cement and slag are used as binding agents. To make sure the spoils can be enclosed safely, comprehensive field trials have been performed in a laboratory setting and in a small test basin in Arendal Bay.
In the first phase, an embanked area will be created at Arendal Bay, which will then be filled with materials. Before this, the bed within the blasted rock embankment needs to be stabilised with the aid of piles.
In addition, this stage involves piling from the seabed down to the rock, under the envisaged embanked area. The embankment will be built using blasted rock and sand.
According to, Eduardo Epifanio, project manager at the Gothenburg Port Authority, around 1,500 piles will need to be in place before the Port can enter the next phase, which will involve building embankments from blasted rock above the piling.
The terminal will be completed in 2025, although it is anticipated that certain sections can be brought into operation before this time.