Around 20 000m3 of sand and sediment is expected to be removed during the dredging exercise, which started on 28 October. It will restore the design depths leading from the basin to the berths as well as the berth areas alongside South East Quay in the basin. Dredging will also address localised high spots along the long quay in Duncan Dock. The 4500m3 Italeni grab hopper dredger and the Isandlwana trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) have been deployed for the exercise. The two dredgers complement each other in that the TSHD is built for high speed sailing to the offshore disposal site while the Italeni improves the accuracy of the final dredged depths. Multi-beam bathymetric surveys will be conducted at regular intervals throughout the campaign to ensure that all areas within Duncan Dock are restored to their original design depths. Dredging is specialised underwater excavation that helps to keep ports and harbours safe and navigable and is a critical aspect of port maintenance. Dredged material is pumped into the hopper and can be offloaded by discharging through conical bottom valves. The dredge material within Duncan Dock will be disposed of at the offshore disposal site. The use of the offshore disposal site has been approved by Department Environmental Affairs. TNPA’s fleet renewal programme has boosted the dredging division’s capacity to aid the removal of approximately four million cubic meters of excess material from the seabed every year at South Africa’s ports. With the most modern equipment available in the specialised service industry, Dredging Services is able to not only meet the needs of the South African port system, but the needs of Southern Africa, helping other African countries grow their economies.
Monday, December 23, 2024
