5,000 cubic metres of muck being dredged out of the harbour

Thursday 07 April 2016

More than a decade's worth of muck is being dredged up in St Helier's harbour next week.

It will take three weeks to clear all the silt that has built up at the bottom of the harbour since it was last cleared 14 years ago.

Ports of Jersey say around 5,000m³ of silt accumulates on the seabed each year and if it builds up too much it starts restricting vessel movements in the harbour.

The job was put out to tender and specialist Danish company Peter Madsen will be doing the work, focusing on areas at the northern end of the Harbour, the entrance to La Collette Yacht Basin and around the fishermen's mooring area in the Basin.

They'll start work on Monday using Margrethe Fighter, a 35m long vessel, that will dredge up all the silt and deposit it on foul ground, about four miles south of the harbour at specific times of the day. They are licensed by the Environment Department to dump it at least one hour after high water and up to one hour before low water to make sure it settles on the seabed while the tide is running to the west and away from the Island's south east corner RAMSAR site.

Ports of Jersey say it shouldn't affect shipping movements as the work is being done around the marina's opening times.