Boskalis secures channel widening project for Adelaide port, Australia

Papendrecht, 13 March 2019

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) has been awarded a contract for the widening of the Port Adelaide Outer Harbor shipping channel in Australia. The project was awarded by port owner and operator Flinders Ports. The contract carries a total value of approximately EUR 40 million.

Boskalis has been appointed to widen the shipping channel to 170 meters from the current 130 meters, and extend the turning basin to accommodate the larger and more efficient Post Panamax container ships which are increasingly dominating global containerized cargo transport. The expanded channel will also accommodate larger cruise ships to support a stronger tourism industry.

An estimated amount of 1.5 million cubic meters of mainly sand and clay material will be removed with a trailing suction hopper dredger and a large backhoe dredger. Flinders Ports and Boskalis are committed to minimizing the environmental impact of the channel widening program and maximizing the ongoing health of the marine environment in line with the strict requirements of the Environment Protection Authority dredging license. The dredged material will be placed in a designated area 30 kilometers offshore with the aid of adaptive environmental management techniques to ensure that the maximum permitted turbidity levels are not exceeded. The project will be executed in the second half of 2019.

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. is a leading global services provider operating in the dredging, maritime infrastructure and maritime services sectors. The company provides creative and innovative all-round solutions to infrastructural challenges in the maritime, coastal and delta regions of the world. Core services, including coastal defense, riverbank protection and land reclamation, allow Boskalis to provide adaptive and mitigating solutions to combat the impacts of climate change, sea level rise and to deliver solutions for the increasing need for space in coastal and delta regions in the world. The company facilitates the development of energy infrastructure, including renewables and is active in the construction and development of ports, waterways, access channels and roads, contributing to socio-economic development and improved trade potential in the places we work. In addition, Boskalis is a global maritime salvage expert and has a number of strategic partnerships in harbor towage and terminal services (Kotug Smit Towage, Keppel Smit Towage, Saam Smit Towage and Smit Lamnalco). With a versatile fleet of more than 900 vessels and floating equipment and 11,300 employees, including associated companies, Boskalis is building new horizons in 90 countries across six continents.

This press release can also be found on our website www.boskalis.com.