Posted on November 28, 2022
Ellicott dredges have been supplied to over 100 countries across the globe, including countries in the African continent. An Ellicott 670 dredge is currently operating near the Chevron-owned, Olero oil & gas Flow Station, located on the Edo Delta River, in the Delta State of Nigeria.
The oil and gas industry is a very important part of the Nigerian economy as it accounts for 7.5% of the country’s GDP and over 95% if Nigeria’s export revenue. In addition, Nigeria is Africa’s main producer of oil, and the eleventh largest oil producer worldwide. Nigerian citizens are employed through the oil and gas sector, which again proves its importance. In a broad perspective, this dredging project is beneficial in several different aspects.
The Ellicott 670 dredge is performing the maintenance of a navigation channel, to accommodate the draft of the Chevron service vessels, which are replacing an 18” oil pipeline in the area. The required width of this channel is 50m, along with a required depth of 3m. According to the current owner of the dredge, “The dredge is very efficient, robust, versatile, and rugged. It is a very powerful and portable machine.” The Ellicott 670 dredge is equipped with a 14” pump, total installed power of 715 HP, and the capability of dredging at 12.8m of depth. Without a doubt, the Ellicott 670 Dredge is the perfect solution for this project.
The dredge discharges the material in a disposal area which includes a filtration trap system. This system enables the runoff of filtered effluent back to the water body. The dredged alluvial soil, rich in nutrients is then used by the local farmers as soil fertilizer. Ellicott Dredges are designed with the capability of pumping and discharging material at long distances. For this project, the discharge distance was only 100m away, which is an easy task for the dredge.
The Ellicott 670 dredge continues to operate at Olero Flow Station and by the end of the project, 100,000 cubic meters of material will be removed from the site. As shown, the dredge not only provides maintenance of the channel, but also provides a solution for the local farmers. No matter where or in what conditions, Ellicott will always be a reliable source for dredging projects.
