Emergency dredging at Port of Beira underway

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Emergency dredging at Port of Beira underway

11:43 CAT | 13 Nov 2017

O País

The Beira Port access channel is undergoing emergency dredging in order to allow larger ships to berth at the port. The operation, which began last Thursday, will last six months, according to AIM.

The project is budgeted at around EUR 25 million, provided by Mozambican Ports and Railways (CFM).

The work is being carried out by Dutch company Van Ôord Mozambique Lda, which won the international tender and whose contract began on 20 October with the mobilisation of the equipment to the Port of Beira. The work will be supervised by CFM.

According to the project overseers, the dredging will restore channel widths of 135 and 250 meters and depths of eight and 9.20 metres in the straight sections and Macuti curve respectively.

Once dredging is completed, it is expected that Panamax-type ships of up to 60,000 gross tons will again visit the port. At present, only vessels up to 30,000 gross tons can be accommodated.

After the emergency dredging, further maintenance lasting 18 months will be carried out by another contractor.

Beira port serves as an entry and exit point for goods from Southern African countries without direct access to the sea such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Source: O País