A consortium comprised of Dutch firms Van Oord and Boskalis will complete a 97.9mn-real (US$55.7mn) dredging project for Brazil’s Sao Francisco do Sul port in Santa Catarina state within 12 months, a spokesperson from the special ports department (SEP) told.
SEP gave the order for work to start on July 9, the spokesperson said, adding that sediment dredging should take six months and rock demolition seven months.
Two dredges will be used simultaneously to remove 4.3Mm3 of sediment, deepening the port’s depth to 14m from 12m, SEP said in a release.
Sao Francisco do Sul port handles the highest tonnage of cargo in Santa Catarina state, exceeding that handled by ports Itajai and Imbituba combined, according to data from the port authority.
The dredging works fall under the government’s national dredging program (PND), created in 2007.
By Daniel Bland
[mappress]
Source: americasBN, July 13, 2010