Dredging work has resumed in the access channel to the Itajaí port complex after the hopper dredger Utrecht returned to the Port of Itajaí on August 30, following an improvement in hydrological conditions in the Itajaí-Açu River basin.
Operated by Van Oord, the Utrecht had suspended operations amid heavy rainfall and high flows in the Itajaí-Açu River basin.
According to local media, those conditions increased the movement of sediment and suspended material toward the access channel, reducing the effectiveness of dredging at that time.
With hydrological conditions improving and river flows declining, the dredger returned to Itajaí and resumed removal of sediment deposited on the channel bed.
The Utrecht is expected to remain in operation at the Itajaí port complex until the planned depths of the access channel are fully restored.