Backhoe dredger Peter the Great has recently started dredging operations as part of the project to create a new access channel at Port 2000 in Le Havre, France.
This marks a new phase in the project, following an important milestone in the construction of the new breakwater, DEME said in a social media post.
Known as La Chatière, this new 2-kilometre access channel will link Port 2000 to the historic port of Le Havre and the Seine basin.
This will provide river barges with direct access to the terminal in all weather and tidal conditions.
Working alongside their joint venture partner, Terélian, DEME has reached another milestone as the new breakwater has now been connected to the southern breakwater of the historic port.
This operation, described as technically challenging, involved creating a connecting civil engineering structure and adapting the existing concrete protections to integrate the new Accropodes™ with the historic breakwater.
With this milestone achieved, Peter the Great has now commenced operations. The excavated materials are being transported by split hopper barges Vlaanderen VII and Vlaanderen VIII to the Octeville disposal site.
The works form part of the Port 2000 La Chatière project, which is being financed by the Normandy Region, the French State, the European Union, and HAROPA PORT.