DEME Awarded Contract to Deepen the Elbe

DEME has been awarded a contract to deepen the Elbe fairway in Germany. The Waterways and Shipping Administration Cuxhaven (WSA Cuxhaven) has awarded the  EUR 238 million ($265 million) contract to DEME Group’s subsidiaries Nordsee Nassbagger und Tiefbau and Dredging International.

DEME will deploy its trailing suction hopper dredges, backhoe dredges and spreader pontoons for the dredging, transportation and relocation of around 32 million cubic meters (35 million cubic yards) of material. The project consists of the widening and deepening of the 116-kilometer (72-mile) long fairway between Cuxhaven and Hamburg to a level of -14.5 meters (-47.6 feet). This will allow ships with a draft of 13.5 meters (44 feet) to sail the River Elbe to and from the port of Hamburg. Right now sailing is restricted to ships with less than a 12.5-meter (41-foot) draft.

DEME has worked in construction of marine infrastructure in Germany since 1968 through its subsidiary Nordsee Nassbagger und Tiefbau GmbH, which is based in Bremen. Since 2004, DEME’s hopper dredges have been regularly deployed on the River Elbe for maintaining the fairway from Cuxhaven to Hamburg.

Christopher Iwens, general manager German Subsidiaries said in a statement: “Securing this contract is a great team achievement as it proves that our local expertise – based on a combination of high tech, know-how and many years of dedicated entrepreneurship – is the key to success for consolidating the company’s presence in Germany. We are pleased to partner with our client WSA Cuxhaven and look forward to working closely with them to ensure the successful execution of this project. The preparatory phase of this important project is now in full swing and is taken care of by our specialist teams located in our offices in Bremen.”