The main aim of the ambitious “Port de Tanger Med Project” in Morocco was to construct the largest transhipment port in the Mediterranean.
With its strategic location on the Strait of Gibraltar, at the crossing of the major East-West and North-South maritime routes, and 15 km from the European Union, the deep-water port and associated free-trade zone would bring a new impetus to the economy of northern Morocco.
The Société de Réalisation du Port de Tanger Méditerranée (SRPTM) was awarded by the Tanger Med Special Agency (TMSA) the Contract for the Construction of the Port.
DEME in turn was awarded by SRPTM a broad ranging contract to dredge the access channel and turning basin and to carry out the reclamation for the new quay walls.
Dredging and reclamation works for the new port comprised dredging a 1.2-km long access channel, a turning basin and the reclamation of three main quay locations (representing 3.2 km), as well as the reclamation of various quays.
We eventually dredged and reclaimed 4 million m³ of material. Works started with our trailing suction hopper dredger, 'Lange Wapper' which dredged the Eastern area for the reclamation of a so-called “Prefabrication area”.
After this first campaign, we mobilised a cutter suction dredger for dredging along the container quay wall and for the reclamation of the container terminal and part of the grains’ quay. During this second campaign we dredged about 2 million m³. The mobilisation of the Seagoing rock cutter CSD 'Ambiorix', was necessary in order to cope with the potential presence of rock outcrops in the dredging area.
In the third stage of the project we realised the final dredge level and the reclamation of the remaining areas, using a small hopper dredger that sourced the sand within the Sand Borrow Area for which DEME had received a concession from the Moroccan Authorities.
