Świnoujście-Szczecin Fairway in Poland officially opens
DEME and Van Oord have accomplished the deepening of the Świnoujście-Szczecin Fairway, one of the most important dredging projects in Poland’s history, according to DEME's release. Together with the Ministry of Transport and the Maritime Office of Szczecin, the joint venture partners celebrated the official opening of the 65 km Fairway on May 9.
Providing access from the Baltic Sea, the Fairway runs between the city of Świnoujście and the Port of Szczecin. With more approximately 24 million m3 of material dredged, the channel has been deepened by 2 m to -12.5 m, which enables the Port of Szczecin to handle the next generation of vessels.
Despite exceptional challenges, including carrying out most of the work during the pandemic and the presence of large amounts of unexploded ordnance, as well as thick ice in winter, the ambitious Design & Build project was completed on time.
More than 2,000 people were employed over its duration. The joint venture partners focused on working with local parties as much as possible and the non-dredging works were largely executed by Polish companies. Ten main dredging units were deployed along the Fairway, including DEME’s dual fuel trailing suction hopper dredger ‘Scheldt River’, DEME’s ‘Meuse River’ and Van Oord’s ‘Vox Amalia’ and ‘HAM317’. These next generation dredgers are all able to pump material over long distances – up to 8 km in this case - without the need of a booster station.
This project also included the construction of two artificial islands in the lagoon, which in line with the JV partners’ sustainable, circular-economy solutions, are created from dredged material. One of the islands is established as a new nature habitat above and below the waterline and is attracting a diverse range of birds, even rare species that are on the EU’s endangered list. The rock revetments below the water are also proving popular with marine life. Additionally, over 9,000 trees and bushes have been planted as part of the greenery works to create new habitats for the wildlife.
Other green initiatives included DEME’s TSHD ‘Scheldt River’ operating on LNG during the project, hybrid earthmoving machinery, and the use of solar panels at the Trzebiez marina.
DEME is a world leader in the highly specialised fields of dredging, solutions for the offshore energy market, environmental and infra marine works. The company can build on more than 140 years of know-how and experience is a front runner in innovation and new technologies. DEME can rely on 5,200 highly skilled professionals across the globe. With a versatile and modern fleet of over 100 vessels, backed by a broad range of auxiliary equipment, the company can provide solutions for even the most complex projects.
