Jan De Nul’s artificial island project in Guyana moves forward

Technology

Guyana President Dr Irfaan Ali visited the construction site of Vreed-en-Hoop Shorebase Inc (VEHSI) yesterday – an artificial island located on the Demerara River.

Office of the President

VEHSI is a joint venture between NRG Holdings Inc. – a 100 percent Guyanese-owned consortium that is the majority shareholder – and Jan De Nul, an international maritime infrastructure company headquartered in Luxembourg.

Office of the President photo

The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by the end of December 2023; operations are also slated to commence during that period.

The second phase of the construction will be completed by April 2024.

Office of the President photo

When completed, the new artificial island will take up a space of approximately 44 acres and will be connected to Vreed-en-Hoop, on the West Bank of Demerara.

This new island is part of the reclaimed land that will be transformed into the estimated 44 acre mega-project to create a shorebase facility.

This facility will form part of the US$300M Port of Vreed-en-Hoop project.

Office of the President photo

The project started the first step in June 2022, which entailed dredging the access channel in the Demerara River, including the deepening/widening of the existing nautical channel, berth pockets, and turning basin.