In the News:
INTERNATIONAL DREDGING BRIEFS
Belgium sends expert team to negotiate release of dredger
Associated Press (AP) reports that the Belgian government has sent a team of experts to east Africa to try to speed the release of a Belgian dredger and its 10-man crew captured last week by Somali pirates.
Belgium's Interior Minister Guido De Padt said he expects the pirates will seek negotiations on a ransom with the Belgian companies that own the ship, Pompei.
Pompei, with two Belgians, a Dutch, three Filipinos and four Croatians on board, anchored off the Somalia coast Wednesday, according to the government.
It was seized a few hundred miles (kilometers) north of the Seychelles islands as it was sailing to South Africa.
Van Oord to sponsor for climate change project
Dutch dredging contractor Van Oord has announced that it is to sponsor a two-year project on climate change.
Said Van Oord: "From 15 March 2009 through December 2010, Arjen van Eijk and Florian Dirkse of the Netherlands will set sail on an adventure and produce a documentary targeted at raising awareness about the critical role oceans play in our world's climate. They will also be focusing on the impact of climate change on human beings."
"The two sailors will visit ocean-related climate projects around the world, headed by such leading organisations as the World Wildlife Fund, the Dutch Red Cross, and the Marine Stewardship Council. Their youthful enthusiasm will generate renewed interest in pollution at sea, the consequences of tourism, and overfishing. The National Geographic Channel will broadcast a documentary on the voyage to ensure that their story reaches a wider audience."
"Van Oord is supporting van Eijk and Dirkse in their adventure, allowing the two sailors to concentrate on their ‘green' message. It is Van Oord's aim to work with The Green Miles project to make people more aware of the environment and the oceans."
Bert Groothuizen, Van Oord's corporate marketing and PR manager, said: "By supporting The Green Miles climate project, we are emphasising how important it is to deal carefully with our earth and, more specifically, the maritime environment - which, after all, is Van Oord's area of operation."
"We also believe that Florian and Arjen are enterprising young men who have the courage to face up to challenges, who take responsibility, who respect the world we live in, and who show enormous team spirit."
"These are remarkable qualities that reflect the ‘One Team Van Oord' culture. That is why these two young adventurers are ideal ambassadors for Van Oord. We hope that they will have an opportunity during their round-the-world voyage to visit a number of Van Oord projects. We are active on all the continents, so we are confident that they will."
The sponsorship agreement was concluded in close collaboration with Sportinnova - Sports & Leisure marketing bureau.
The Green Miles also recently welcomed Europeesche Verzekeringen and Sinner Eyewear as sponsors through the efforts of Sportinnova.
HollandMT signs co-operation agreement with Chinese firm
HollandMT in The Netherlands has signed a co-operation agreement with Jinyang Co Ltd in Wuxi, China to develop, manufacture and promote gate valves for the global dredging industry.
Jinyang Co Ltd is the main supplier of gate valves to the Chinese dredging industry and has a proven track record going back more than 30 years.
In addition to the mechanical gate valve expertise, Jinyang Co Ltd also has extensive know how regarding sealing technology enabling it to design and manufacture a variety of rubber seals in accordance with customer specification.
Gate valves can be delivered for pipe diameters from 300mm to 1,400 mm, in high, medium and low pressure versions and can be custom designed for customers' specific needs.
The new range of gate valves is designed, manufactured and tested in accordance with highest dredging industry standards.
For more product information, contact HollandMT at info@HollandMT.com
Mega land reclamation project under way at Lagos in Nigeria
Artist's concept of the massive land reclamation project at Lagos.
Royal Haskoning has announced that it is working on the EKO Atlantic City seaward reclamation project in Lagos and the recovery of the seriously eroded coastline in the vicinity.
This enormous land reclamation project (800 hectares) will provide accommodation for up to 400,000 residents and 200,000 workers.
Royal Haskoning is responsible for the urban masterplan and design for the expansion of the city. The firm is responsible for the overall project management of the maritime and urban planning, a major part of the infrastructure of the new city and the environmental impact assessment.
The project is a private sector initiative supported by the Lagos State Government. The land reclamation project has reportedly started. The start of construction is planned for mid-2009.
Royal Haskoning has been working in Nigeria on various projects for over 50 years.
DCI tender attracts only one bidder
State-run Dredging Corporation of India Ltd (DCI) has reportedly attracted only one bid in response to a tender it floated last year to buy three 5,000m3 trailing suction hopper dredgers.
Livemint.com said DCI currently has a fleet of 12 dredgers with a capacity to dredge 80 million cubic metres a year.
The firm is looking to boost its dredging capacity to 100 million cubic metres a year.
TVA Uses Ellicott 370HP Dredge for Coal Ash Cleanup
Three months after a massive coal ash spill, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has begun dredging ash byproducts of coal-generated electricity from the Emory River using an Ellicott Series 370 Dragon™ dredge. Jacobs Engineering is the prime contractor for this first phase of the project.
The 370 Dragon hydraulic dredge, one-truck transportable dredge, began sucking up ash from the river Thursday (April 2009), TVA officials said during a news briefing and tour Friday.
TVA's top environmental officer Andra Ray called the start of dredging a major milestone in the cleanup of one of the worst spills in the country's history - a recovery TVA estimates could cost more than $800 million and take months, if not years, to complete.
River Lee to be dredged to tackle poor water quality
A £2 million dredging programme to improve the water quality of the River Lee Navigation near the Olympic Park in East London in the UK, will see up to 16,000m3 of silt removed from the waterway.
The Environment Agency and British Waterways have joined forces to tackle the problem of poor water quality on the river, which has been an issue of concern for many years, affecting local residents, wildlife, boaters and other waterway users such as rowers and ramblers.
Dave Wardle, Environment Agency project manager, said: “Historically the river has suffered from years of abuse. Riverside industries discharged unwanted waste into the waterway. Sewage treatment works use the river to dispose of effluent. Homes were built in the area with misconnected pipes, and fly-tipping and general littering has been common-place. These combined actions have resulted in a build up of silt and obstructions in the river, which must now be cleared as part of a wider programme of improvements to the waterway."
“This clean up is part of a pan European initiative called the Water Framework Directive, which aims to improve the quality of water in rivers, estuaries and other wetlands across England and Wales. The dredging, and European Water Framework Directive overall, will enable watercourses to support healthy fish, animals, insects and plants, helping this area of the Lee Valley to become an attractive area of open space which people can use for walking, cycling, fishing and boating.”
Major events, such as the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, have provided a catalyst to clean up the river and encourage its users, neighbours and guardians to improve and protect this green corridor running through East London.
Kuwait invites bids for Bubiyan seaport project
MEED reports that Kuwait’s Public Works Ministry has invited firms to submit bids by 21 April for the contract to provide project management services on the Bubiyan seaport project.
The prequalifiers include UK-based Arup, Singapore’s Becom International, Diwi Consulting International, Fichtner, both of Germany, Netherlands-based Grontmij, KBR and Turner Construction International, both US-based.
The ministry plans to issue tenders for the phase two construction packages on the project during the first half of 2009.
The phase two works will comprise at least three design-and-build packages covering dredging, quay-wall construction, and onshore roads and paving.
The ministry has yet to finalise the capacity of the port. Civil servants are reviewing the masterplan although the latest plans involve up to 60 berths.
UK-based Mouchel is the consultant.
The US$399 million first-phase construction contract, which involves a 34km road and bridge leading on to the island, was awarded to a consortium of Gulf Dredging & Contracting, Shaheen al-Ghanim Roads & Bridges and China Harbour Engineering Company.
King Fisher Marine employee dies in accident on dredge
Local news sources report that an employee of King Fisher Marine Service in the US has killed earlier this week as he and crew members were moving a dredge in the Houston Ship Channel.
A company spokesperson said the King Fisher dredge was being moved to a new site when an accident with machinery aboard the dredge occurred.
Chris DeAlmeida, spokesman for the company, said the company was conducting an investigation.
The crewman, whose name was withheld until his family had been notified, died at the scene
The US Coast Guard and the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration were both notified about the accident.
Bids sought for Panama Canal dredging
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has announced a Request for Proposals (RFP) to dredge the Canal's Atlantic entrance.
The ACP said the contract includes dredging approximately 15 million cubic meters of material, plus 800,000 cubic meters of dry excavation.
It also includes deepening the Canal's Atlantic entrance to 15.5m to allow the transit of post-Panamax vessels through the new set of locks that will be constructed under the ACP's expansion programme.
With the announcement of the RFP, potential contractors will be allowed a period of three and a half months to evaluate site conditions and one month to submit their proposals.
Proposals are to be submitted on July 15th 2009 with the project completion expected sometime in the second quarter of 2013.
USACE to use mud from Mississippi to build marsh
Associated Press (AP) reports that the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) plans to start using mud dredged from the Mississippi River's Southwest Pass to create marshland.
Said AP: "The Corps has hired a company to dredge about 2.3 million cubic yards of mud from Southwest Pass during maintenance operations and dump the material behind rock dikes along the river."
"The Corps says the dredged material is expected to build about 130 acres of marsh. The work is part of a US$8.4 million maintenance dredging contract."
Southwest Pass is the main entry point for ships into the Mississippi and the corps says it took "extra co-ordination" to make sure the dredging project did not pose a danger to ships using the pass.
Busy start to 2009 for IMS
IMS, a division of LWT LLC (IMS Dredges) reports that during 2008 the company sold more than 20 dredging systems worldwide, and that during the first quarter of 2009, IMS has received the following noteworthy orders, inlcuding:
- Mexico: sale of two IMS Model 5012 LP Versi-Dredge/Weedharvester Combo units to a local CAT Dealer for a government lake restoration project. Sale of one IMS Model 7012 HP Versi-Dredge to Isolux for clean-up of the sea water intake in Rosarito.
- Russia: sale of an IMS Model 5012 LP Versi-Dredge for lake restoration and sale of an IMS Model 7012 HP for river sand mining.
- US: sale of an IMS Model 5012 HP to Anglin Civil Contracting for mining sand from a lake in Michigan. The 5012 HP will pump sand over 3,000ft (913m) to the discharge area.
Remediation work starts on Lower Fox River
Green Bay Press Gazette reports that after years of abuse, the Lower Fox River was due to reach a recovery milestone this week.
"That's when the PCB-loaded sediment will begin to come out of the river, be pumped to the newly built dewatering facility, and eventually be hauled to a landfill in Calumet County," said the newspaper.
This is the next phase of the river clean-up process — the largest of its kind in the US — that already has included years of industrial and legal governmental maneuvering and removal of the most toxin-filled mud north of the De Pere dam.
Green Bay Press Gazette said the portion of the clean-up in Little Lake Butte des Morts is scheduled to be finished in the coming months.
"This is, in many ways, the beginning of the project," said Bruce Baker, deputy administrator of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Division of Water. "The size and scope of this part of the project has been debated, discussed, studied and contemplated for decades, and there has been a tremendous amount of obstacles."
"This is really groundbreaking, not just for Wisconsin but also nationally."
The report said the current target is the river section from Little Rapids to Green Bay. The project is estimated to cost at least US$585 million and last nine years.
