MARINE CIVILS
LOW CARBON BEACH REPLENISHMENT AT OSTEND Trailing suction hopper dredger Alexander von Humboldt will bring some 600,000 cubic metres of dredged sand to Belgium’s Ostend beach, running on sustainable drop-in biofuel Jan De Nul’s dredger will run on 100% sustainable drop-in biofuel, thus reducing CO2 emissions by 90%. The bulldozers and excavators on the beach are equipped with advanced exhaust gas filter systems that reduce the emission of fine dust and nitrogen by 80%. The site offices for the project management team are of the latest generation, equipped with well-insulated materials and a heat pump, which also reduces the energy consumption by 80%. For this contract, environmental impact was an important award criterion, given MDK’s long-term vision on coastal protection: Flanders must prepare today for the consequences of climate change by strengthening the coasts and at the same time reducing the causes to the maximum extent possible.
With our tender as well as the execution of this contract, we show that we are ready for the future and can dredge and replenish in a sustainable way
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Bart Praet, Head of Dredging Department Benelux at Jan De Nul Group said: “In 2019, we led the way in our sector by having a 15% CO2 reduction requirement included in Flemish dredging contracts by 2022. With our tender as well as the execution of this contract, we show that we are ready for the future and can dredge and replenish in a sustainable way. We show other clients that these measures are feasible and affordable. If we want to protect ourselves against rising sea levels in the long term, we must act now. The reduction of emissions simply cannot be optional anymore.”
The dredger Alexander von Humboldt will be moored in the port of Ostend and will pump the dredged sand to the beach via a floating pipeline. This will allow a faster completion of the works, as the dredger will be able to work continuously. Because it is working within the sheltered harbour area, the vessel does not have to wait for high tide to access the coast. The execution time can therefore be shortened from 6 weeks to 5 weeks. Each seven hours, the Alexander von Humboldt will supply sand over a 1.5 km section of beach, starting at the western harbour dam and moving on towards Thermae Palace.
8 Jan De Nul executed identical sustainable beach replenishment works in Raversijde and Knokke
Platform decommissioning A marine civil engineering specialist has been awarded the contract to decommission two North Sea platforms it installed 25 years ago. Heerema Marine Contractors has announced that DNO has awarded a decommissioning contract for the integrated engineering, preparation, removal, and disposal (EPRD) of the Ketch and Schooner platforms. Michel Hendriks, Heerema’s Decommissioning Director, said: “Heerema is proud to be the contractor of choice for the decommissioning of the Ketch and Schooner platforms. The EPRD award is the result of our ambition to remove offshore
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8 The Ketch and Schooner platforms are located in the Southern North Sea in the UK sector and were installed by Heerema in the 1990s
structures of all sizes in a safe and sustainable manner. We are especially pleased to contribute to the circularity of the
project by being the installation and removal contractor, which is in line with our own sustainable circular ambitions.” The Ketch and Schooner platforms are located in the Southern North Sea in the UK sector and were installed by Heerema in the 1990s. Both platforms are tied-back to the Murdoch complex, which will also be removed by Heerema Marine Contractors. The Ketch platform is located in a water depth of 54m, and the Schooner platform is located at 71m of water depth. After removal, up to 97% of both structures will be responsibly disposed of by reuse or recycling.
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