A Finnish company will deliver a dredger for PLN 116 million for the waterway on the navigation channel through the Vistula Spit. The company that will deliver the specialized unit was selected after the third tender, Gdynia Maritime Office informed.
The spokeswoman of the Maritime Office in Gdynia Magdalena Kierzkowska informed, that during the first tender no one came forward. During the second tender the Finnish company was the only one to submit an offer, but it exceeded the amount the Maritime Office in Gdynia had for the task. In the third tender the Finnish company was again the only bidder.
The suction hopper dredger will be delivered by Uudenkaupungin Työvene Oy. It is known to Polish customers, including the Maritime Office in Gdynia (UMG), from previous deliveries. For example, in October 2019 it handed over to UMG the hydrographic catamaran Constellation intended for operation in shallow sheltered waters – particularly in the Vistula Lagoon.
Initially it was assumed that the Maritime Office would pay no more than PLN 80 million for the delivery of the vessel, but now the amount has been increased to PLN 116 million.
The tender proceeding concerned the delivery of an over-water dredger, including its design, construction, equipment and delivery to the port of Elbląg. The contractor will also train personnel in the operation of the vessel (dredger) and its equipment.
The Maritime Office in Gdynia has stated that the dredger will be used for maintenance and preservation works on the main waterway, which will be created after the construction of the waterway connecting the Vistula Lagoon with the Gulf of Gdansk – on the track running through the Lagoon and through the Elblag river. It will also be used for dredging and cleaning works on the tracks leading to small ports of the Vistula Lagoon.
The project of building a new waterway from the Vistula Lagoon to the Bay of Gdańsk concerns not only the navigation channel through the Vistula Spit itself. In order for the investment to be functional, apart from the ditch, the investor also planned supplementary investments.
The total length of the new waterway from the Gulf of Gdansk through the Vistula Lagoon to Elblag is nearly 23 km, of which approx. 2.5 km is the section that will include the lock and external harbour as well as the berth. The canal and the entire waterway will be 5 m deep.
The first phase of construction of the Vistula Spit Shipping Canal began in October 2019. Deputy Infrastructure Minister Marek Gróbarczyk recently conveyed that all indications are that the first vessels will sail through the canal later this year.
Source: PortalMorski.pl
