Boskalis awarded West Africa coastal protection contract

Boskalis has been awarded a contract for the protection and replenishment of more than 40 kilometres of coastline stretching from the eastern coastline of Togo to the western coastline of Benin in West Africa.

The coastal protection project is part of the West African Coastal Areas Management (WACA) program. The award was made by the governments of Togo and Benin with the financing made available by the World Bank.

The contract carries a value of approximately €55 million (US$60.65 million).

Boskalis said the current coastline has suffered from significant erosion, resulting in coastal retreat that serves as a threat to vital infrastructure and the livelihoods of the local population.

Under the project, fifteen new groins will be constructed and six existing groins will be refurbished. A beach replenishment program will also take place using more than one million cubic metres of sand.

On the Benin side of the border, a 6.4-million-cubic-metre sand engine will be constructed. The sand engine concept was co-developed by Boskalis and has been successfully applied in the Netherlands over the past decade.

A large volume of sand will be deposited at a strategic location and, over time, the natural motion of wind, waves and currents will spread it eastwards along the coastline.

The project will start immediately and is scheduled to be completed in late 2023.