Cashman Completing Land Reclamation Project for 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda

Cashman Dredging and Marine Contracting Company LLC is nearing the completion of a project to create a nine-acre site that will house the events village for the 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda. The new land will provide a viewing area for the races in nearby Great Sound. 

The contract is in the South Basin of the Royal Naval Dockyard Ireland Island Bermuda and was awarded by the owner West End Development Corporation (Wedco).

The event village will have activities associated with the sailing tournament including all the team bases a pit row food and beverage venues entertainment and concerts. 

The first part of the project involved relocation and re-handling approximately 140000 cubic yards of sand onto a shallow plateau to begin the creation of the land. Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd. had contracted Jan de Nul for a maintenance project in the North Channel and the material was placed in a deep hole at the location of the landfill. Cashman relocated the sand within the site to create the landfill using its clamshell dredge Dale Pyatt and dozers to create the site.  

Another 166000 cubic yards of four-inch minus granite was transported in seven loads by bulk carrier from Canada and deposited in the landfill area. Cashman relocated the granite within the site using loaders and dozers. The contract also includes splash wall construction on the south and east of the site as storm protection and installation of sheet piling in an open cell pattern on the north and west a concrete pile cap and final site grading. Approximately 2500 steel sheet piles were imported to create the wall.

The Dale Pyatt was transported from New Bedford Massachusetts where it had been working on the Marine Commerce Terminal for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.  Cashman leased the tug Thomas Dan for the haul which took about seven days.

Besides the Dale Pyatt Cashman transported a sheet pile driving crane and hammers and earth moving and compacting equipment to the site and has subcontracted many local companies to participate in the contract. 

Bermuda-based construction company BCM McAlpine is the overall project manager and Stephen Tobin vice president at Cashman oversaw the dredging and land preparation which began in October 2015 and was completed in January 2016. At that time Shawn Wyatt vice president at Cashman took over management of Cashman’s project to install the splash wall and sheet piling on the perimeter and complete the preparation of the site. Planners expect to start installing utilities by the beginning of July.

The project has attracted avid local attention and has been reported on in detail by the local newspaper the Royal Gazette. The articles and pictures can be viewed online by searching “royal gazette south basin.”