Yucatán Governor, Joaquín Díaz Mena, visited Jan De Nul’s cutter suction dredger (CSD) Fernão de Magalhães yesterday, a state-of-the-art vessel that crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Europe for an entire month specifically to deepen Progreso’s port.
The giant dredger arrived in the area in July, and is now getting ready to remove sediment and materials from the seabed to increase the port’s depth and operational capacity.
This capital port development program involves a historic investment of 7.9 billion pesos (approximately $400 million), funded through collaboration between federal, state, and private sectors.
The expansion is set to add 80 hectares (198 acres) to the existing facility, bringing the total operational area to 116 hectares (287 acres).
According to the officials, the modernization work will enable Progreso to accommodate much larger vessels.
At the moment, the vessels enter the port with loads of 36,000 to 40,000 tons, but improvements will allow vessels carrying up to 100,000 tons.