Over the past nine months, Jan De Nul has deepened the access channel to the local port of Itapoá in Brazil. At the same time, the dredged sand was reused to create nine kilometres of beaches and five kilometres of dunes with native vegetation.
Jan De Nul‘s dredging vessel Galileo Galilei has deepened the access channel from -14 metres to -16 metres, making the port accessible for larger vessels. These works enhance the region’s logistical capacity and support further economic development.
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Strengthened beaches and nature restoration
The company reused the dredged sand to protect the coast of Itapoá against the rising sea level and increasingly powerful storms. The Galileo Galilei pumped seven million m3 of sand onto the beaches, where Jan De Nul’s teams carefully redistributed it to create the new coastline. The result: nine kilometres of new beach, ranging between forty and 150 metres wide, and five kilometres of dunes.
Together with Acquaplan, a local expert in restoring ecosystems, Jan De Nul is introducing 300,000 native plants on these dunes to help hold the sand in place and enhance biodiversity. Acquaplan collected samples of eight native plant species along the coast and propagated them in large quantities at a greenhouse near Itapoá.
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Win-win-win
Dieter Dupuis, Senior Regional Manager for Jan De Nul in Brazil: ‘This project created a win-win-win situation. The Port of Itapoá is now accessible to larger vessels, the coastal community is better protected with strengthened beaches and dunes, and nature gets a major boost with 300,000 native plants taking root.’
‘For many years, our beach suffered from erosion and the continuous loss of sand, as the sea advanced,’ says Jefinho Garcia, Mayor of Itapoá. ‘The positive impact of the works was almost immediate. During the summer season, Itapoá attracted significantly more visitors, while local businesses, building plots and real estate all increased in value.’
Picture: Jan De Nul’s vessel Galileo Galilei installed seven million cubic metres of sand dredged from the access channel onto Itapoá’s beaches (photo Jan De Nul).
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