Deepening of Port of Haifa underway

Work started recently at Haifa Port in Israel to deepen the harbour to a depth of 17.5m, following authorisation for the project by Israel’s Ministry for Environmental Protection. The port hopes to complete the dredging project in only a few months.

According to the terms of the permit and the requirements of the Ministry for Environmental Protection, Haifa Port Company is required to monitor the materials excavated from the entrance channel throughout the project.

Shlomo Briemann, Haifa Port Company’s CEO, said: “The permit was given based on an understanding that combines considerations for protection of the environment and the benefits derived to the economy of Haifa and northern Israel.”

The widening of the entrance channel will, for the first time, allow large container ships to dock at the Carmel terminal at the port. The first stage of the work, which will include dredging of sand from the seabed, is expected to take several weeks. When this phase is finished, the depth of the entrance channel will be 16m. This will allow the entrance of vessels with a capacity of 8,000 TEU.

In the second stage of the project, the channel will be deepened to 17.5m, which will allow the entrance of vessels with a capacity of 9,000 to 10,000 TEU.