DEME and Van Oord have completed dredging the 65 km long channel, which now offers 12.5 m of depth (previously 10.5 m).
Approximately 24m m3 of material was dredged, among others, by DEME's Scheldt River and Meuse River and Van Oord's Vox Amalia and HAM317.
The material was used for creating two artificial islands, one of them as a new natural habitat. Ober 9,000 trees and bushes were also planted as part of the project's greenery works to create new wildlife habitats.
Deepening the Świnoujście-Szczecin Fairway also proved to be DEME and Van Oord's largest unexploded ordnance (UXO) campaign. An unexploded, five-tonne bomb was one of the "discoveries." After a year of research and preparations, the so-called Tallboy was safely detonated in situ by the Polish Navy.
As well as the deepening works and the new islands, the parties carried out shore protection works and underwater reinforcements and installed cables and navigational aids.
The deeper fairway will make it possible for bigger & heavier vessels to call the Port of Szczecin.
"DEME is so proud of this incredible project and completing it on time. This was DEME's first major project in Poland and indeed, the first Design & Build dredging project in the country and it had to be carried out while adhering to stringent safety and environmental standards. However, we managed to successfully achieve this complex project although we faced unprecedented challenges - the pandemic, a large-scale UXO campaign, severe winter storms - and we did this by working closely together with our JV partner. The project team's determination and versatility enabled us to overcome these challenges. This is a fantastic example of true teamwork, where we pooled our joint expertise, and the dedication of all the parties involved, as well as being the result of our strong collaboration with the Maritime Office in Szczecin, the Polish Government, the regional authorities and the local community. Succeeding, and succeeding to finish this large-scale public project on time is exceptional," Eric Tancré, Managing Director Activity Line Dredging at DEME Group, commented.
Govert van Oord, Managing Director Dredging at Van Oord, added, "We look back with pride and great satisfaction at being able to deliver this challenging project in Poland in line with our company purpose: to create a better world for future generations by delivering marine ingenuity. Delivering world-class infrastructure whilst co-creating two new islands of natural habitat that allows nature and wildlife to flourish is an example of what our company does best and how we play an important role in adding value to society. A big thank you to all people involved in the project: your craftmanship, dedication and teamwork made the difference! This project has demonstrated that immense challenges can be overcome through a positive spirit of cooperation with all stakeholders involved. We congratulate the people of Poland on this landmark achievement!"
Photo: Van Oord