The project involved 150 staff and crew from Dredging International, four trailing hoppers and a dipper pontoon. Located at the east coast of South Africa and bordering the Indian Ocean, Durban is the busiest port in sub-Sahara Africa. The port upgrade works were tendered by Transnet and executed by a joint-venture which included the local civilian contractor Group Five (the Group is also involved in the construction of the new stadium for the World Cup Football in Durban). Dredging International was the managing partner of the consortium. The total contract value was Euro220 million (DEME’s involvement amounted to Euro90 million).
Work carried out
A northern and southern breakwater of respectively 500m and 800m protected the port of Durban. The northern breakwater had to be demolished and rebuilt some 100m further down; the southern breakwater was strengthened. These preliminary works allowed for the port entrance channel to be widened from 120m to 220m, and to be deepened from the previous minus 12.8m to -19m in the outer channel and -17m in the inner port. As a result, it will be possible for the next generation of container vessels, up to 9,400 TEU, and vessels of equivalent size, to call at Durban port. A total of more than 10 million m³ had to be dredged, part of which was used for the foundation and the reinforcement of the breakwaters. Up to 850 men and women were committed, including 150 staff and crew from Dredging International. Besides the mega dipper Pinocchio and the two split barges DI 68 and DI 69, DEME assigned no less than four trailing suction hopper dredgers: the TSHD’s Marieke, Krankeloon, Orwell and Pallieter. Since the stone dumping vessel Pompei was unavailable due to hijacking by Somali pirates, stone dumping operations were executed by using a split barge, a customised platform (in fact an adapted spud-pontoon), and a cable crane operating from the shore. The port upgrading and modernisation in Durban was an outstanding example of a multi-disciplinary approach: dredging, beach nourishment, reconstruction of the second breakwater, demolition of several quay walls and the removal of ship wrecks in the approach channel (including the clearing and cutting of a huge wrecked ship in the outer channel). It was specifically characteristic for this project that this one assignment led to securing several other contracts: the maintenance dredging in all South African ports between 2007 and 2011; the maintenance dredging in neighbouring countries such as Mozambique and Namibia; and a beach nourishment on behalf of the city of Durban. In view of the upcoming World Cup Football and the tourist promotion of the city of Durban, Dredging International will yet again carry out extra beach nourishment.
Safety first
Safety on site was the main concern. The consortium Dredging International/Group Five reached the 1 million LTI (Lost Time Injury) milestone, which is an international standard for absence off work caused by accidents: one million working hours were performed without any serious accident. Since a tourist beach and the world famous aquarium uShaka with dolphins and sharks were quite close to the site, special care was given to the environment. Peculiar challenges in Durban included the absolute need for good planning and co-ordination of the various, complex activities; the execution of the works with a variety of plant in the very busy, narrow entrance channel to the port of Durban; the limited space that could be used for all land-based activities; and finally the rough weather and frequent storm conditions in the Indian Ocean –especially when working in the outer channel and at the southern breakwater.