Suriname river deepening project

From its entrance to some 50 km upstream the Suriname river is shallow with a number of very shallow banks where the river is wide. Its maximum nautical depth at high tide is approximately 6 m only. As a consequence sea-going vessels can only use the fairway partly laden while manoeuvring through the mud. To improve the shipping transportation efficiency interested firms BHP Billiton Maatschappij Suriname, Suralco and Staatsolie formed a consortium to fund permanent deepening of the fairway with two more meters.

This Suriname river deepening project will be realised by contracting a dredging company that will first execute capital dredging, followed by maintenance dredging on basis of a long-term contract, to be concluded with the Maritime Authority of Suriname.

Lievense was assigned to prepare the conceptual design based on a river study, followed by a preliminary design on basis of hydraulic and morphologic modelling of the river and nautical analyses and simulations.

Activities:

• river study and analysis
• conceptual fairway design
• river bottom/water sampling and analysis
• hydro-morphologic modelling
• preliminary design, river response analysis and final design
• tender and dredging contract preparation
• co-operation with EIA consultant