Construction and maintenance of ports

Project highlights

Creating Gorgon

In 2009, Boskalis was awarded a contract on the Chevron-operated Gorgon Project, one of the largest and most complex contracts to be undertaken in our history. Our scope of work included the design and construction of some of the port facilities at Barrow Island.

Duqm port construction

This extraordinary EPC project we dredged a new harbor basin and entrance channel with a depth of 18 meters, constructed a kilometer-long quay wall, two 400 meter-long jetties and reclaimed land for a port platform including ground improvement and associated 4 km shore protection.

Co-creation in Brazil

From 2011-15, Boskalis was involved in the construction of one of Latin America’s largest port-industry complexes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Boskalis dredged two huge access channels, a turning basin, an inner channel, mooring berths and constructed revetments for the breakwater and over 13 km of access roads.

Dredging techniques

Trailing suction hopper dredger

Trailing suction hopper dredgers can fill their own holds (hoppers) by sucking material from the seabed using a trailing suction head fitted to pipes that trail over the bed as the ship sails.

Cutter section dredger

Dredging with a cutter suction dredger takes place while the vessel is moored with spuds or anchors and consists of powerful cutting action combined with suction.

Backhoe dredger

A backhoe dredger (BHD) is a hydraulic excavator installed on a pontoon. Dredging is executed by the excavator which is mounted on a turntable at the front of the pontoon. The backhoe dredger is mainly used for dredging in shallow or confined waters.

Creating two berths pockets, NCIG terminal

For 200 years the Port of Newcastle has been Australia’s premier coal export harbor. Of the 95 Mtpa of various commodities such as steel, aluminum, minerals and so forth exported from Newcastle in 2008-2009, 90.5 Mtpa were attributable to coal. Average annual growth rate of coal exports from 1990 to 2006 was 6.1%. This constant increase has caused a spike in ships queuing to enter the harbour to be loaded. To increase capacity and avoid these traffic jams, a decision was made to develop a new coal stockpile area and construct a third coal terminal.

Port expansion, Balboa

The plans to expand the Panama Canal represent one of the most important infrastructure improvements of the 21^st century. Since its opening in 1913 the Canal has provided the shortest and most economically viable shipping route from Pacific to Atlantic seaports. With the ever-increasing size of modern-day vessels, it was inevitable that the Canal would need to be widened and deepened. The expansion of the Canal has made the extension of the Port of Balboa at the mouth of the canal on the Pacific Ocean a necessity. The Phase 4 projects included Marine Works and Civil Works to improve two existing berths and to build a completely new berth capable of handling not only Post Panamax but also Super Post Panamax ships.

Land reclamation, North Manama Causeway

The purpose of the project was to provide additional land to accommodate a section of a proposed new highway system to service the area and to relieve congestion on the corniche road. Boskalis appointed Hydronamic (the in-house engineering department of Boskalis) to provide detailed design and on site assistance with supervision of the sub-contractor for the rock works.

Port environmental mitigation measures, Hamina

Hamina, which is close to the Russian border in south-east Finland, is a home port for the oil industry and a transit harbor for timber, cars and other goods on their way to Russia. To provide access for larger vessels it had to deepen the existing channel by two meters to 12 meters and create a new channel section. Terramare Oy, a subsidiary of Royal Boskalis Westminster, won this assignment in late 2008. The project started in July 2009.

Port development, Raahe

The Raahe project is the largest dredging contract in Finnish history. Access for larger ships is economically important for the clients using the port of Raahe, such as the steel company Ruukki.

Port development, Pipavav

As a result of the booming container market in recent years, GPPL and APM Terminals introduced a long term investment plan to further develop the port’s facilities. Phase 2 of the expansion program included the reclamation of a new storage (container stacking) area and the extension of the port’s capacity by deepening the approach, channels and berths, allowing larger (container) vessels to enter the port. Zinkcon Marine Singapore, a subsidiary of Boskalis International B.V., won the contract for the dredging and reclamation works for Phase 2. In the beginning of 2009, however, the client re-evaluated the investment against the background of the dramatic effects of the economic crisis, which seriously affected the global container market. GPPL, APMT and ZMS agreed to optimize the project in such a way that all parties would benefit.