New vessel dredging port entrance
The Dredging Services division of Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has confirmed the Isandlwana trailing suction hopper dredger is in the bay of Mossel Bay to dredge some high spots in the entrance channel of the port.
It left Durban for Mossel Bay on 9 December to dredge for about 10 days in Mossel Bay.
Dredging the high spots was a necessity ahead of an oil drilling expedition from December to March by the petroleum refining company, Total, where supply vessels that support the activity will be utilised.
Port manager Shadrack Tshikalange said: "The port has some high spots in the entrance channel and the sand trap is full. The high spots in the channel pose a navigational risk, especially during low tides.
"We want to ensure we provide an excellent service to our customers, hence we have brought forward the dredging activity to ensure the drilling expedition and the movement of the platform supply vessel are not compromised."
The benefits of dredging the areas will be an entrance channel that is dredged to the designed depth and all high spots, that would have posed a navigational risk, will be removed, explained Tshikalange. The dredged sand trap will then again have capacity for the migrating sand to not settle in the entrance channel of the port.
Regarding Total’s local oil drilling expedition, Tshikalange said TNPA was supportive of the initiative as positive results would contribute towards unlocking the economic potential of South Africa’s oceans and subsequent job creation as part of Operation Phakisa, which was declared by the state president in 2014.
TNPA’s Dredging Services division aids the removal of approximately four million m3 per year of dredged material from South Africa’s ports.
The present fleet of dredgers includes two trailing suction hopper dredgers, the Isandlwana and the Ilembe, the 750m3 Italeni grab hopper dredger; the Ingwenya trailer hopper dredger and the Impisi plough tug.