Dredger Strandway pumping beach material near the Hovertravel terminal

As part of the coastal defence works on Frontage 3 (Southsea Common), crews have started importing beach material.

The Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger Strandway arrived on May 1st and will work in the vicinity of Hovertravel terminal for around eight days.

This type of dredger is most commonly used for beach nourishment and will be pumping approximately 50,000m3 of shingle onto the shore between the new rock at the Naval War Memorial and Hovertravel.

An impressive sight, Strandway is three times the size of the ‘rainbowing’ dredger Sospan Dau that was used for previous shingle imports.

The Southsea Coastal Scheme is the UK’s largest local authority-led coastal defences project, worth more than £185M. It will stretch for 4.5km from Old Portsmouth to Eastney, and help to reduce the risk of flooding to more than 10,000 homes and 700 businesses.