At the end of October, the Central Dredging Association (CEDA) co-hosted a conference, with the Portuguese Engineers Association (OE) in Lisbon.
The CEDA Iberian Conference: Dredging for sustainable port development, had over 120 participants, and addressed key topics relevant to the success of port dredging and sediment management projects, with a focus on the Iberian Peninsula.
“Portuguese and Spanish professionals in the field of dredging and port construction initiated this event, inspired by increasing environmental and societal demands on the preparation and implementation of marine infrastructure projects, ” said Polite Laboyrie, CEDA President.
On behalf of the co-organizer, Mr Carlos Loureiro, OE Vice-President, extended a warm welcome to Lisbon, the home of OE. He stressed that the shared objectives, of the creation and dissemination of high-quality knowledge, made CEDA and OE ‘natural’ partners in presenting the event.
The conference started with a short introduction by Conference Chair, Stefan Aarninkhof, Professor of Coastal Engineering at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.
The sessions featured 15 technical presentations by high-profile speakers from eight different countries. Conference participants were treated to a comprehensive program which covered concept and strategies for sustainability; developments of ports and coasts; sediment management; and environmental management and monitoring.
In addition, there was a special Young CEDA Pitch Talk session of 3 fast-paced and sharp presentations.
Young professionals, representing Dravosa, HAL Maritime and Boskalis, had the opportunity to expose their ideas to an expert audience and get immediate feedback and encouragement.
The program included a technical visit to Caparica beach hosted by the Portuguese Environment Agency.
The Agency worked closely with the Port of Lisbon Authority to devise a dredging plan, using dredged sediments from maintenance dredging to successfully mitigate erosion problems on the beaches, and the visit was a great opportunity for participants to hear from those involved.