Dredging of a key Australian port has been completed in the state of Victoria.
The project involved the dredging of City Bend, the right angle turn at the junction of Hopetoun and Corio channels that ships navigate on their way to and from the Port of Geelong.
According to the Victorian Regional Channels Authority (VRCA), the state government body that funded the project, dredging work was carried out by New Zealand-based marine services provider Heron Construction Company.
For the operation, Heron utilised its backhoe dredger 'Machiavelli' to excavate the material from the seabed on a round-the-clock schedule.
Two split-hopper barges manoeuvred by tugs then transported the dredged material to an approved dredge material ground in Victoria's Port Phillip.
Prior to the project's commencement, an estimated 130,000m3 of mainly sand, silt and soft clay required removal to widen the turn and aid safe navigation of ships.
