Van Oord has finished dredging two new port basins in Egypt's Ain Sokhna Port, successfully completing a project that forms part of a port expansion program meant to improve and develop the Suez Canal Economic Zone.
The General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone and the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Egypt had awarded Van Oord the contract to dredge approximately 21 million cubic metres of soil to create two new port basins.
To be able to dredge the hard soil, Van Oord deployed the self-propelled cutter suction dredger Artemis and the trailing suction hopper dredger Vox Amalia, along with a fleet of support vessels.
The dredged material was deposited in a designated zone approximately 9.5 kilometres offshore. Van Oord completed the project within 14 months.
Ain Sokhna Port is located on the western coast of the Gulf of Suez, about 120 kilometres east of Cairo and 40 kilometres south of Suez. Due to its strategic location and extensive investment, the port is growing rapidly into a major industrial hub and will soon be one of the largest ports along the Red Sea capable of serving commercial shipping between Asia, Europe, and North Africa.
Expansion plans include new container, dry bulk, general cargo, and liquid bulk terminals, as well as logistics, warehousing, distribution centres, and a dry port.