CEDA Dredging Days Program Announced

The Central Dredging Association has announced the program for their upcoming trademark biennial event – CEDA Dredging Days, set to take place from 9-10 November 2017 at Ahoy Rotterdam.

“The event has been the primary international dredging conference in the CEDA region (Europe, Middle East, Africa) for almost 40 years,” CEDA said in its release.

This year’s event will focus on the continued benefits of dredging projects that add value to nature and society and minimize potential negative impacts.

Program highlights include:

• Keynote address by Frank Verhoeven, President of IADC – the International Association of Dredging Companies;
• 19 peer-reviewed papers presented by international experts on: Environment and monitoring; Developments in instrumentation; Sustainable working methods and equipment; Innovative solutions and an Academic Session showcasing research papers on various subjects;
• An Interactive Session, on contractual problems and how to avoid them, designed to bring useful lessons to all parties in a contract (including the project owner, contractor, supplier and engineer/designer);
• Presentation of CEDA’s Checklist for Successful Dredging Management by the new Dredging Management Commission;
• Young CEDA Pitch Talks with a series of up to 8 short, sharp presentations by bright young professionals;
• Dredging exhibition, where leading companies showcase their latest products and services.

The theme

For hundreds of years dredgers have been used to shape and manipulate the interface between land and water in order to support a variety of human activities.

The list is long and includes navigation, coastal protection, flood risk management, water body restoration and remediation, as well as residential, commercial, agricultural and hydropower development.

Dredging in marine, estuarine and freshwater environments affects the ecosystem and its associated services to nature and humanity either in a positive or in a negative manner.

New insights in the natural processes, in the potential impacts and benefits and new, adapted methods and technologies allow the modern dredging industry to provide sustainable solutions for developing and maintaining essential infrastructure, while securing the continuity of ecosystem services.

CEDA Dredging Days 2017 aims to demonstrate the sustainable character of modern dredging projects.