Elbe Deepening Contract Goes to DEME

A major deepening contract for the Elbe fairway in Germany has been awarded to Belgian dredging, environmental and marine engineering group DEME.

The project consists of the widening and deepening of the 116 km long fairway between Cuxhaven and Hamburg to a level of -14.5 meters.

This will allow ships to sail the River Elbe with a draught of 13.5 meters, compared to 12.5 meters at present, and not be restricted by the tide and with a 14.5 meters draught (tide-dependent) when sailing from and towards the port of Hamburg.

The EUR 238 million deal for the adaptation of the fairway was granted by The Waterways and Shipping Administration Cuxhaven (WSA Cuxhaven) to DEME Group’s subsidiaries Nordsee Nassbagger- und Tiefbau and Dredging International.

The company will deploy its trailing suction hopper dredgers, backhoe dredgers and spreader pontoons for the dredging, transportation and relocation of around 32 mio m³ of material.

“The preparatory phase of this important project is now in full swing and is taken care of by our specialist teams located in our offices in Bremen,” Christopher Iwens, General Manager German Subsidiaries, said.

“We are pleased to partner with our client WSA Cuxhaven, and look forward to working closely with them to ensure the successful execution of this project.”