Prins Hendrik dyke strengthening and nature reserve creation

The dyke is over three kilometres long, and will be strengthened with sand on the seaward side, adding some 200 hectares to the island.

From 2018, Jan De Nul N.V. will build a dynamic, unique nature reserve with dunes, salt marsh and beach in front of the current dyke. The project kills two birds with one stone: the dam will be future-proofed and the ‘natural values’ in the Wadden Sea improved. The reinforcement of the Prins Hendrik dyke was awarded by Hollands Noorderkwartier district water control board and forms part of a sizeable dyke reinforcement operation in the Netherlands. In all, more than 1,100 kilometres of dykes and almost 500 locks and pumping stations will be handled until 2028.

The trailing suction hopper dredger Bartolomeu Dias will pump in the sand in the second half of 2018. After that Jan De Nul will start designing and enhancing the newly created landscape. The completion of the works is scheduled for mid-2019.

By Jake Frith