Posted on December 7, 2017
A joint venture comprised of DEME and Royal Boskalis Westminster have been awarded a 5-year contract for the capital and maintenance dredging of the Martín García channel.
The channel is located between Uruguay and Argentina in the northern part of the 50-km-wide Rio de la Plata estuary. The contract awarded by the Comision Administradora del Rio de la Plata (CARP) carries a total value for the 50/50 DEME/Boskalis joint venture of approximately EUR 110 million and signing is expected to take place in the coming weeks.
Martín García Channel
The Martín García channel, highly exposed to sedimentation, is the main access channel to Uruguay’s second largest port, Nueva Palmira, as well as to the Rio Uruguay. The main objective of the dredging programme is to deepen the canal and subsequently maintain a depth of 34 feet over the contract period.
Climate drivers such as El Niño have an impact on the volume of sediments settling in the Rio de la Plata and the Martín García channel. This complex natural phenomenon requires careful engineering and planning to guarantee a safe passage to vessels at all times.
Dredging Work
The capital dredging work will be performed in 2018, when approximately 6 million m3 of mainly sand and silt will be removed with two trailing suction hopper dredgers as well as approximately 500,000 m3 of clay and rock with a large backhoe.
Maintenance Contract
The maintenance contract requires the annual removal of approximately 5 million m3 of mainly sand and silt, over a subsequent period of four years and will be carried out with a trailing suction hopper dredger.
Source: SWZ Maritime
