EXCLUSIVE: Boskalis returns to Benin

About two years after their last project in Benin, Boskalis is returning to the West African country.

After constructing a 6.4 million cubic meter sand motor in 2022 to protect a stretch of the country’s vulnerable coastline, Boskalis will again work with sand to prevent coastal erosion.

“We will deploy a trailing suction hopper dredger to deposit more than 3.5 million cubic meters of sand around a previously installed underwater breakwater. This 5-kilometer-long breakwater runs parallel to the Benin coastline, designed to break waves in a way that prevents beach erosion and protects the local community’s homes and beach activities,” Boskalis said. 

The absence of natural defenses along the Benin coast, combined with the unrestricted winds from the South Atlantic, makes the existing breakwater insufficient to protect the coastline. 

Depositing sand around the breakwater is set to transform the steep underwater ‘dike’ into a wider sand platform.

According to Boskalis, this will calm the waves, allowing them to gently reach the beach of Avlékété.