Van Oord Bags Taiwanese Dredging Project

Van Oord has been contracted to dredge the water intake basin of the Taiwanese Da Tan power plant. Cutter suction dredger HAM 218 and trailing suction hopper dredger HAM 318 will join forces on this project, which will kick off early 2021.

Driven by the growing demand for energy in Taiwan, the Da Tan power plant is currently being expanded by Hwa Chi Construction Co. Van Oord will deepen the existing water intake basin to increase its capacity to take in cooling water. Cutter suction dredger HAM 218 will be deployed for the dredging works.

“Van Oord came up with the smartest and most optimal solution to deepen the shallow and narrow inflow bay within an extremely short time frame. A proof of their marine ingenuity and many years of experience. We are looking forward to successfully realising this project together” Said Mr Tsai, Chairman at Hwa Chi Construction Co.

Trailing suction hopper dredger HAM 318 will transport the dredged material from Da Tan, located on Taiwan’s northwest coast, to Taipei. It will be pumped ashore to reclaim a new port area, allowing the port in Taiwan’s capital to expand. Van Oord’s scope will be completed by mid-2021.

“We are pleased that Hwa Chi Construction contracted Van Oord for these dredging works. We worked together on a number of Taiwanese projects before, including Kaohsiung’s port expansion. Our mutual trust was key in receiving this award, without having any physical meetings due to COVID-19” Said Guus de Vries, Area Director at Van Oord

Van Oord has been active in Taiwan for many years. In 2017, it received the Golden Quality award for the successful execution of Kaohsiung’s port expansion. These reclamation works were completed 8 months ahead of schedule, enabling Taiwan’s largest port to grow.