Large suction dredger arrives for Vreed-en-Hoop shore base

-44 acres to be added to coastline

Reputedly the largest suction dredger ever to arrive here, the M.V Galileo Galilei, owned and operated by the Jan De Nul Group, NRG Holdings’ joint venture partner is set to begin land reclamation for the company’s planned shore base on the West Demerara.

A release yesterday from the company said that the vessel’s arrival marks the beginning of the reclamation phase of the project. During this phase the dredger will clear the existing area and begin the process of adding reclaimed material for the creation of an artificial island on which the new terminal will be situated. This project will, in the first phase, add more than 44 acres to Guyana’s coastline, the release said.

The project began in June with dredging of the access channels in the Demerara River including the deepening/widening of the existing nautical channel, berth pockets, and turning basin. This phase has been hailed a success by the project managers and the upgraded channel will be handed over to the Maritime Administration Department in the near future, the release said.

The release said that the M.V. Galileo Galilei has worked on projects such as a recent beach expansion project in Brazil and other port projects. The vessel has two separate hoppers on board. This allows the dredged material to be spread evenly over both hoppers, thus controlling the load and the draught.

Vreed-en-Hoop Shore Base Inc. (VESHI) forms part of the Port of Vreed-en-Hoop project. Phase one of the project is meant to be the special purpose vehicle to serve as a SURF (Subsea Umbilicals, Flowlines and Riser) Shorebase for Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited projects.

The release said that VESHI is currently the largest Guyanese private sector investment in the oil and gas sector and is expected to cost over US$300 Million. The project is expected to become operational in 2023. Vreeden-Hoop Shorebase Inc. is a joint venture between NRG Holdings Inc.—a 100 percent Guyanese-owned consortium that is the majority shareholder –and Jan De Nul, a Belgium international maritime infrastructure company.