Posted on March 26, 2025
Boskalis and joint venture partner Van Oord recently completed an extensive dredging project in Walvis Bay, Namibia. With the trailing suction hopper dredgers Gateway and Vox Alexia we deepened the 10-kilometer-long access channel to the port of Walvis Bay from -14.4 to -16.8 meters and widened it from 130 to 200 meters. In addition, both vessels dredged the harbor basin to a depth of -16.3 meters and expanded it by more than 400 meters.
A major challenge on the project was the presence of excessive concentrations of toxic hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the dredged sediment. To mitigate this risk, a large number of health and safety measures were taken during the mobilization prior to the project, including modifications to the vessels and the installation of dozens of sensors and special H2S filters. Also, the vessel crews were trained on how to deal with H2S. They were able to measure the concentration of H2S in the air at all times and established safe working protocols on board. A large number of sensors were also installed on the quays of the port area to alert the workers and users of the port in time in case the gas appeared. Thanks to these engineering and administrative controls, the project was successfully completed without incidents and well on time.
We thank the client for its trust and the project team and vessel crews for their dedication during this project.
