Massive beach nourishment to protect Ameland shoreline

Over the last couple of months, approximately 2 million cubic meters of sand dredged from the North Sea has been deposited on the beach at Ameland-West.

According to Rijkswaterstaat, this phase of the project is complete and Boskalis dredgers are now working to replenish the Ameland-East where additional sand is being deposited on the seabed in front of the beach.

The new sand will gradually wash on the beach and then drift onto the dunes. This will preserve the dunes and beach that protect the island from the sea and allow the coast to adapt to rising sea levels.

Wind, waves, and currents carry a lot of sand from the western tip of the island out to sea via the Ameland Inlet, between the Wadden Islands of Terschelling and Ameland. Additional sand is needed to keep the sandy coast stable and safe.

For that reason, the beach at Hollum – between beach posts 1 and 4 – has been replenished with approximately 2 million m³ of sand from the North Sea, plus 450,000 m³ of sand from a nearby shipping channel.

The coast of Ameland-East is also losing sand to the sea. In the coming months, until 2026, another 3 million cubic meters of sand will be deposited on the seabed just off the beach. This sand will then be transported to the beach by the waves.

Rijkswaterstaat also added that the work is taking place approximately 100 meters from the coast. It will be visible from the beach but will not cause any inconvenience to beach visitors. Boaters are advised to maintain a safe distance of at least 300 meters from the dredgers.