A unique dredger already in service – it is used in the Dębicki Canal in Szczecin!

Better access to the port in Szczecin near the Dębicki Canal will soon become a reality. So far, more than 40 percent of the works planned there have been carried out, and the most important phase – bottom dredging – has just started.

The investor of the modernisation and expansion of the Szczecin Port is Zarząd Morskich Portów Szczecin i Świnoujście S.A. As part of this task, among others, the construction of a new Norweskie Quay (an extension of the already existing Fińskie Quay, which serves as a container terminal) and modernisation of the existing Czeskie and Słowackie Quays were planned.

In addition, the Duńskie Quay, with a length of approx. 770 metres, is to be developed. It will act as a protection of the Ostrów Grabowski shore and will allow the extension of the Norweskie quay in the future.

An element common to all quays is the widening of the Dębicki Canal to a width of 200 m (currently 120 m) and the deepening of the pool to a technical depth of 12.5 m.

Deepening is carried out by Inż. Łęgowski

According to the Contractor of this investment, a consortium of NDI S.A. and NDI SOPOT S.A., the implementation is proceeding very smoothly, thanks to which the next, particularly important phase of construction has already been commenced.

“We have started the key works planned for this task, i.e., dredging works. The deepening of the bottom takes place with the use of a dredger – a vessel named “Inż. Stanisław Łęgowski”. It collects excess of sand and silt to reach the required target bottom depth,” says Piotr Arabczyk, Project Director from the NDI Group. “After filling the hold, the vessel heads to a specially prepared berth on the section of the Mieleński Przekop canal, and there the excavated material collected is transported by a system of short pipelines onto a specially prepared Dump Site.”

The dredger has a loading capacity of up to 1,600 m3. It works 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The amount of soil to be transported is as much as 1.5 million m3 (800,000 from the new quay and 700,000 from the other parts of the canal).

Importantly, all works take place under the constant supervision of ornithologists, who take care of preserving the natural state of the environment in the construction area.

Norweskie Quay in half a year

But this is not the only work that the NDI Group is currently carrying out in the Port of Szczecin. Apart from the commencement of the dredging works, all sheet piling has already been driven and 100% of the ground anchors have been made on the Norweskie and Duńskie quays. As part of the First Stage, also all anchors and the entire palisade consisting of steel pipes (255 pcs.) and sheet piling (252 pcs.) were made on the Czeskie and Słowackie quays. Currently, the Contractor is implementing the target reinforced concrete structures, the completion of which is planned for the beginning of 2023. After their completion, it will install safety devices, i.e., sea fenders, bollards, rescue equipment, and elements protecting onshore transport traffic.

“Since we have properly secured the key construction materials in advance, the city of Szczecin will soon, at the beginning of 2023, gain a completely new Norweskie quay with a length of 300 metres. It will be fully adapted to ship handling,” emphasizes Piotr Arabczyk, Project Director.

The work is also in full swing on the dump site on the Island of Ostrów Mieleński, where, among others, approx. 65 percent of the working platform and approx. 15% of the so-called containers, which will form the embankment of the new silting field, have been completed.

All works will finish by mid-2024. The project is co-financed by the European Union from the Cohesion Fund under the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment. The cost of works is approx. PLN 343.1 million gross.