Dredging teams win race against time at Wilhelmshaven

The LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven, northern Germany, was completed just in time for the arrival of a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU). The demanding schedule required two Boskalis Hirdes dredging teams to really rise to the occasion – which they did with flying colors. The customer was Niedersachsen Ports.

Over a period of some six weeks running from October to November, trailing suction hopper dredgers Shoalway – which did the initial dredging in the first week – and Medway dredged more than 520,000 cubic meters of sand within the approach area and berth pocket of new the LNG terminal. Finally, Shoalway and Medway finished the dredging effort on November 15, 2022.
With the “groundwork” all complete, the FSRU was installed at Wilhelmshaven without notable difficulty.
Markus Stünkel, Branch Manager, Hamburg, notes that the arrival of the FSRU unit created time pressure for the entire undertaking, since all the dredging work had to be performed before the FSRU could be installed.
To make things even more challenging, there was a significant delay with the project – not caused by Boskalis Hirdes – and the dredging teams had to scramble to make the deadline. With the double deployment of both Shoalway and Medway on the project, the challenge was met head on and eventually overcome.
Stünkel believes that this high-profile Boskalis Hirdes project has generated a lot of goodwill all around the country – as well as opened some eyes, too.
“Previously, Germany has been known to prepare such projects for years before they come to market. In this case, especially with the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as a factor, it all happened very quickly.”
Following the preparatory UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) campaign and the pier construction works, Boskalis Hirdes was awarded the dredging project at the end of August 2022. The company then demonstrated that it could respond extremely quickly in a tight spot by putting the dredging work on fast track.
“In this project, we were able to adjust to ‘the new German speed’, as the government itself calls it,” says Stünkel, crediting planning, logistical expertise and the hard work of two vessel crews for the achievement.
Execution period: Mid September to mid November 2022.

Customer: Niedersachsen Ports

In this project, we were able to adjust to ‘the new German speed

Markus Stünkel, Branch Manager, Boskalis Hirdes