Ports are constantly expanding in order to be able to accept larger vessels and the ever-increasing growth of the global shipping market. As a respond to this, capital dredging campaigns are required to widen and deepen shipping channels, as well as to provide access to new berths and port infrastructure. There is also the increasing effort needed to maintain the navigational depths required to keep the shipping channels and berths open for use.

The dredging industry is facing numerous challenges to keep our ports open, whilst also minimising its impact on the environment. This seminar considers some of the issues the dredging industry is facing, with a look to the future on how these are changing.

Speakers and presentations include:
Dr Jemma Lonsdale - Review of offshore disposal of dredged material.
Management of the marine environment is becoming more complex with more industries, designated areas and regulatory regimes, and a long standing activity, which will likely always remain is the disposal of dredged material within our marine environment. Jemma’s presentation with cover a short history of disposal, what  has changed and what is continuing to change, with a look to the future for emerging and potential changes.

Jan Brooke – Dredging and the environment: what’s on the horizon?
Jan’s presentation will take an introductory look at some of the issues currently moving up the environmental agenda that could have implications for dredging and disposal:

• the challenge of adapting navigation infrastructure and operations to the changing climate
• whether the pre-COVID rush to fit open loop scrubbers to commercial vessels will continue and if so, what this might mean for dredging from enclosed and sheltered water bodies
• understanding and managing the possible invasive non-native species’ risks associated with dredging and disposal
• what might change with the forthcoming Environment Bill, for example the emerging concept of net gain

 Chaired by Jamie Gardiner from Royal HaskoningDHV, Chair of CEDA UK Committee.