From Tierra del Fuego to Lapland: Jan De Nul at work in remote areas in the world

More than 6000 employees in more than 70 countries: Jan De Nul Group likes to spread the word. Many projects appeal to the imagination, because they are impressive or because they bring employees to very exotic places. Two projects stood out in 2018: at 15,500 kilometers from each other, in the far north and in the far south, Jan De Nul employees and vessels were working for the deepening of the ports of Ushuaia and Oulu.

Ushuaia, located in the Argentine Tierra del Fuego, is the southernmost city in the world

In the southernmost port of Argentina, Jan De Nul's trailing suction hopper dredger Vitus Bering was responsible for the deepening of the harbor basin in order to accommodate larger cruise ships

The port of Ushuaia is a coveted stop for cruise ships exploring the Arctic Sea. The port administration of Ushuaia especially tendered this project to be able to accommodate the 317 meters long Celebrity Eclipse cruise ship, with her 3100 passengers and 1271 crew members.

The project took less than a week and the amount of material to be dredged was limited to 50,000 m³. But Jan De Nul, on his way to Ecuador, did not hesitate to make a stopover in this idyllic place.

Mr. Nestor Lagraña, President of the Port of Ushuaia: "Jan De Nul Group demonstrated its expertise and accuracy to finish the works well in less than one week. I wish to thank all parties involved for their patience and collaboration to welcome this large cruise ship in our port."

Oulu, located just south of Lapland, is the northernmost port of Finland

In Northern Finland Jan De Nul Group executed dredging works for the further development of the port of Oulu. During three months, the trailing suction hopper dredger Alexander von Humboldt and the cutter suction dredger Fernão de Magalhães deepened the sea channel, the access channel and the port basin to 12.5 meters. In total, two million cubic meters of sand, clay and boulders was dredged.

The city of Oulu is an important logistical hub for Northern Europe. Some important traffic arteries for the supply of northern Scandinavia and Russia start in Oulu. The deepening of the port was necessary to accommodate larger cargo ships.

Mr. Harold Heeffer, Project Manager at Jan De Nul Group: "The project could only be kicked off in the late summer and needed to be finished imperatively before the ice season. Thanks to the excellent collaboration with the port of Oulu and innovative techniques for the treatment of sea water in the siltation basin, the project was delivered on time and with respect to the strict environmental requirements.”