Belgian dredging group has obtained an important contract in Mexico

The Belgian dredging and environmental group DEME has just been awarded an important contract in Mexico. The new assignment strengthens the position of the group in the growth countries.

The contract includes the dredging works for an LNG-terminal at the west coast. The works have to be terminated within 365 days and will be executed in joint venture.

The contract was signed this weekend and the works will start immediately. DEME will deploy amongst others a large cutter suction dredger and a large trailing suction hopper dredger. The cutter suction dredger Vlaanderen XIX has been working in Central and South America for quite some time now – recently in widening and deepening works at the Pacific side of the Panama Canal, and at the Rodman quay of PSA in Panama. By authority of DEME the works will be executed by Dredging International Mexico.

The new assignment implies the dredging of an access channel, the creation of a turning basin and a mooring area for the new LNG-terminal of Manzanillo in the lagoon of Cuyutlan off the coast of the Pacific Ocean. This terminal will be operational by the end of 2011 and will import LNG from Camisea in Peru. This means that the power plant of Manzanillo will work on clean fuels instead of on oil derivates as is the case today. The work scope of the awarded contract includes the second phase of the dredging works for the LNG-terminal in Manzanillo. The actual LNG-factory will be built by a joint venture of the Asian companies Mitsui, Samsung and Korea Gas Corporation (Kogas).

A total of 12.5 million m³ will be dredged by the consortium. The dredged material will be dumped in a temporary dump in front of the beach to then be re-dredged by TSHD and be dumped in the assigned offshore dump area. The assignment was awarded by the Ministry of Communication and Transport of Mexico (Secretaria de Communicaciones y Transporte).

This contract is not only important because of its size and contract value but for Mexico it is of strategic importance to be able to run an LNG-terminal at the west coast. For DEME the award of this new contract in Mexico is of strategic importance as well.

In the past few years, DEME already executed several maintenance works in Mexico and in Costa Azul and a jetty on monopiles was constructed by GeoSea, a daughter company of the DEME Group. In the past, Dredging International executed large port expansion works in Lazaro Cardenas, Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo.

With this new assignment, DEME strengthens its position in Latin America. The Group executed works in amongst others Argentina, Uruguay and Ecuador – and at the moment is executing works in Brazil, Venezuela, Panama and Mexico.

Source: DEME