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Gaillard Cut dredging completed Deepening and widening the Gaillard Cut (formerly called the Culebra Cut) is a key part of the Panama Canal Authority’s (ACP) expansion programme – completing the dredging in this difficult
section is a major milestone. “Gradually, we are completing all the projects that make up the expansion programme,” said Panama Canal administrator Jorge Quijano. Dredging on this problematic
Corte Culebra
Dredging in Culebra Cut’s completed
part of the canal, the narrowest section with some of the most difficult material to remove, started in March 2008. And the list of companies and equipment needed to complete the deepening and widening is extensive. ACP’s equipment included drill barges Baru and Thor, plus cutter suction dredgers Mindi and Quibian I, and dipper dredger Rialto M Christensen. In addition, backhoe dredgers II Principe (Jan De Nul) and Cornelius (Royal Boskalis Westminster) were needed to help remove some 3.2M m3 of material (see IHS DPCs passim). The expansion project’s also reached another key point with the pouring of the first 1M m3 of concrete at the new locks construction site on the canal's Atlantic side. They will allow 10,000teu+ vessels to pass through into Gatún Lake. » www.pancanal.com
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www.dpcmagazine.com HK assets sold DP World has sold its interests in two container terminals and a logistics centre in Hong Kong for a total consideration of $742M. The group shed 75% of its interests in CSX World Terminals Hong Kong Ltd (CT3) (which operates berth 3 of the Kwai Chung Container Terminal) and ATL Logistics Centre Hong Kong Ltd (a logistics centre located alongside CT3) to Goodman Hong Kong Logistics Fund, although it will continue to manage the port operations. It has also sold 100% of its interest in Asia Container Terminals to Hutchison Port Holdings Trust (see below). ‘Long-term’ benefits Hutchison Port Holdings Trust’s acquisition of Asia Container Terminals from DP World spells “long-term benefits for the group", according to industry analysts. HPHT already owns Hong Kong International Terminals and 50% of COSCO HIT in Hong Kong. Following the transaction, the number of HPHT’s berths in Hong Kong will increase from 14 to 16 and its market share will rise accordingly to 64% from 55% in terms of capacity, said UOBKH analyst Lawrence Li.
Blockbuster becomes a dredger dredger
dpcmagazine.com
Soon-to-be Titan
January 2013 for transport to the Caspian Sea where it will work for oil and gas major Saipem. “Titan brings a combination of 45m outreach and lifting capacity of 24.5 tonnes never before achieved by a conventional dredger,” Indusign of Belgium told IHS DPC. “Using Titan allows dredged material to be stockpiled underwater along the trench
but far enough away to ensure that the material won’t migrate back into the trench,” the firm added. “This saves Saipem time and money because it will not require transport vessels to store material while the pipeline’s being placed. "Once the pipe’s installed, Titan will reclaim the material and cover the pipe.” » www.e-crane.com
Jelco Stouthandel
One of the key players in the construction of Rotterdam’s Maasvlakte 2’s sea defences, is about to begin a new life. The massive Blockbuster E-Crane will be mounted on a floating platform and used for a pipeline dredging operation in the Caspian Sea, close to the shores of Kazakhstan. To be renamed Titan, Blockbuster’s 30m high and weighs about 1,200 tonnes. Original contractor PUMA used it from 2011-2012 to build an important part of the hard sea defence that will protect Maasvlakte 2 from the sea and from extreme ‘once in 10,000 years’ storms. Blockbuster placed approximately 20,000 individual concrete blocks, each 2.5m³ and weighing over 40,000kg. The crane was disassembled during
More GE dredging? General Electric (GE) has agreed to analyse what it will take to dredge newly discovered contaminated sediments from the Hudson River and report the findings to shareholders by the end of 2013. Under a previous 2005 agreement with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), GE’s already removed about 1.3M m³ of polychlorinated biphenyl-contaminated sediment from the lower Hudson but this new move would entail dredging of other parts of the river.
April 2013 | Dredging and Port Construction | 7