PORT OF MAPUTO BEGINS MAINTENANCE IN MOZAMBIQUE

The hopper dredger ‘Ilembe’, owned by the South African Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), has just arrived in the Mozambican capital to resume dredging in the Port of Maputo access channel, from which it is expected to remove 550,000 cubic meters of sediment.

Ilembe is in Maputo to carry out maintenance dredging of the access channel to the ports of Maputo and Matola. The job, which will cover the areas of Polana, Xefina, and the North channel, is estimated to take two months.

According to the press release sent to the editorial office of ‘Domingo’, the Transnet National Port Authority (TNPA) dredger was hired as part of regular access channel maintenance [dredging], carried out every two years.

The last maintenance dredging was carried out by a Jan De Nul Group vessel in 2019/2020.

A priority intervention took place in the first half of 2022, to deepen waters at Quays 6, 7, 8, and 9. These works were limited to the quays and an intervention in critical sections of the Matola and Polana channels.

‘Ilembe’ is a trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) with a maximum hopper capacity of 5,500 cubic meters.

SOURCE: ClubOfMozambique