DREDGING ROUNDUP LATIN AMERICA – April/May 2014
COLOMBIA
Nine consortiums have expressed interest in bidding for the project to dredge the Rio Magdalena. The winner of the massive contract will be responsible for expanding Colombia’s most important waterway and maintaining dredging until 2030. Colombian publication El Tiempo listed the consortiums who have expressed interest in bidding on the project as the following: Power Construction Corporation of China; China Harbour; PSF Navega Magdalena: Acciona Jan de Nul Consultores del Desarrollo and Castro Tcherassi; SF Rio Grande: Conconcreto SNC Lavalin and Dredging Internacional; Navegabilidad RM: Ortiz Construcciones y Proyectos CYES Rohde Nielsen and Infracon; Coderma: Iridium Desarrollo de Infraestructura Van Oord RM Holding y Juneau Business; PSF Navelena: Odebrecht and Valorcon; PSF Aguas Navegables del Magdalena: Hidalgo e Hidalgo Asesores Financieros Andalucía Mercovial and Supercemento; and Concesionaria Fluvial del Magdalena: FCC Construcciones Estudios and Proyectos del Sol (Episol).
URUGUAY
Uruguay and its neighbor Argentina are still in an acerbic battle over dredging Rio de la Plata but they have agreed to begin dredging a different waterway beginning in July. Uruguayan newspaper El Pais reported that the countries agreed to split the $27.5 million cost of the dredging which will dredge the first 187 kilometers (about 115 miles) of the river to 25 feet deep and beyond that to 19 feet. The project will much improve shipping capacity in the ports of Paysandú and Fray Bentos.
GUYANA
The italian dredging equipment builder Italdraghe has delivered a new cutter suction dredge and booster station to Guyana for use in gold mining operations there according to a release by the company. The SGT 180 B cutter suction dredge and SGT 180 booster were custom-designed and built specifically to extract riverbed gold.
MEXICO
IHC recently completed a new Beaver dredge and workboat and delivered it to Lazaro Cardenas Mexico. The dredge and worboat were transported from Rotterdam the Netherlands aboard Jumbo’s MV Fairload after the crew dismantled the cutter ladder using cranes according to a release from Jumbo.
MEXICO
Fishermen and tourboat operators have solicited the state government to dredge Puerto de Abrigo on Holbox Island north of the state of Quintana Roo. In their petition to government officials they say the port has become inundated with marine sediments. The fishermen say the silt situation is severe enough that they must attempt dangerous maneuvers to load their boats according to a report by Mexican publication Quequi. The port was built two decades ago but has never been dredged even as sediments have concentrated against containment walls in the port.
BRAZIL
Brazilian dredging company LUSCHI conducted dredging in Rio Grande do Sul as part of a project by Petrobras to build oil platforms in the Rio Grande Shipyard. Petrobras was removing the hull of the P-66 platform which required dredging to open the gate. LUSCHI removed about 30000 cubic meters (about 39240 cubic yards) of sediment in less than 20 days according to a LUSCHI press release. The company used a hopper dredge for the work.
CHILE
The Port Authority of Iquique (EPI) has opened bidding on a project to build a third berth in its harbor or oversee a large expansion of the current berths in order to prepare for the new generation of Panamax ships that will soon be plying the world’s oceans. Alfredo Leiton the general manager of the port authority announced the first public call for tender in March. The concessionaire who wins the bid will be responsible for taking over port operations and then expanding the berths over time according to a press release by EPI.
