Van Oord has been handed a contract for a major beach replenishment and coastal protection project in Portugal to restore and reinforce one of the country’s most prominent tourist beaches.
The contract was announced shortly after Van Oord completed another large-scale coastline maintenance project in the Dutch province of Zeeland.
Along the Portuguese coastline, Van Oord’s Spanish subsidiary Dravo S.A. has signed a contract with the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) to counter erosion, strengthen the shoreline and ensure long-term resilience while supporting sustainable tourism and protecting local infrastructure. The contract was formally signed in Quarteira by the minister of Environment and Energy and Dravo, highlighting the strategic importance of the Algarve region and Portugal as a whole.
The work will focus on replenishing sand and reshaping the coastline to restore the beach to its original profile and will necessitate dredging marine sediments, transporting them to the project area, profiling the beach and depositing sand to rebuild the shoreline.
Looking north
using the LNG-fuelled trailing suction hopper dredger
A distinctive feature of the Noord-Beveland project was the use of 100% Bio-LNG fuel, Van Oord says, which was enabled by Van Oord’s ‘Green Fuel Fund’, launched in late 2024, which functions as a financial mechanism to reduce the cost of renewable fuels for clients such as Rijkswaterstaat and make large-scale application more feasible.
“I’m proud that we have executed this entire project using 100% Bio-LNG,” said Tom van Eijk, project manager at Van Oord.
“This proves that sustainability in the maritime sector isn’t just a future ambition for us, it’s already a reality.”
