Boskalis recently secured three contracts for coastal protection and port maintenance activities in Germany. These dredging contracts carry a combined value of EUR 45 million for Boskalis and will all commence in the coming months.
The first contract was awarded by the German Waterways and Shipping Office WSA Weser-Jade-Nordsee to upgrade the existing coastal defense on the island of Wangerooge to provide flood protection to the island’s residents. This project will be executed with a local German partner and involves the reinforcement of the groins and revetment for which 200,000 tons of rock will be used. In addition to a backhoe dredger a number of split barges will be deployed. Construction works will commence in November 2020 and are expected to be completed late 2021.
Boskalis furthermore received a contract award from WSA Weser-Jade-Nordsee for maintaining a 90-kilometer-long section of the shipping fairway of the Weser river between Nordenham and Bremerhaven. Under a two-year maintenance contract Boskalis will dredge a total quantity of around 14 million cubic meters of sand and silt, which will be deposited at designated locations along the river. Boskalis will deploy a medium-sized trailing suction hopper dredger to carry out the dredging work that will start early 2021 and last until the end of 2022.
The third contract that Boskalis secured was awarded by Niedersachsen Ports for the maintenance of the port of Emden, one of the largest German North Sea ports. Starting 1 November 2020, Boskalis will maintain the port at the required depth by dredging an annual volume of around 2.7 million cubic meters of sand and silt with a trailing suction hopper dredger for two consecutive years.
Boskalis’ strategy is aimed at benefitting from key macro-economic factors which drive worldwide demand in our markets: expansion of the global economy, increase in energy consumption, global population growth and the challenges that go hand in hand with climate change. The project on the island of Wangerooge is aimed at combatting the consequences of extreme weather related to climate change. The activities in the Weser river and the port of Emden are largely driven by the need to maintain the accessibility of ports to accommodate global seaborne trade. With its groundbreaking activities and unique expertise, Boskalis is exceptionally positioned to play a significant societal role in creating and protecting welfare and advancing the energy transition.