DEME completes Durban approaches

The works, undertaken by a joint-venture between DEME and local contractor Group Five, required the northern breakwater to be demolished and rebuilt 100 metres from its original site, with the southern breakwater being strengthened.

These preliminary works allowed the port entrance channel to be widened from 120 m to 220 m and to be deepened from its previous 12.8 m to 19 m in the outer channel and 17 m in the inner port respectively, to enable container vessels of up to 9,400 teu to call at Durban.

A total of more than 10m m³ of material had to be dredged, part of which being used for the foundation and the reinforcement of the breakwaters.