HWB wins Venezuela dredging contract
Seawork exhibitor Humber Work Boats has dispatched its 1,000 tonne self-propelled dredger Pat M to Venezuela to help improve the country’s port infrastructure.
The backhoe dredger will play a key role in expansion plans at the container port of La Guaira.
Pat M arrived in South America aboard the Hansa heavy lift vessel Valparaiso. After setting up, it was ready to work 24/7 for eight to ten months dredging up to 600,000m3 of material for a new quay facility and ships’ turning circle.
“Although the vessel has worked in Portugal, Spain, Algeria, Morocco, the Canary Islands, Mallorca and the Azores, she has never before been mobilised aboard ship, said David Symon, managing director of HWB, the North Killingholme UK based marine and dredging company.
“She is a self-propelled seagoing vessel capable of coastal movements, but a transatlantic voyage was beyond her. I am full of admiration for the dedication and technical abilities of our dredging team in achieving a safe and successful lift.
“We decided to send the Pat M to Venezuela because sizeable dredging contracts have largely dried up in Europe. Although, since the start of the recession, we have been successful in being a part of the growth in port infrastructure in North Africa, opportunities in South America were difficult to ignore. Prospects of winning additional contracts in places like Peru, Brazil and Venezuela are good too.”
