In the context of Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works, Hilde Crevits’ port trade mission, a visit has today been made to the crucial Soai Rap project and DEME’s trailing suction hopper dredger ‘Uilenspiegel’ that has been engaged to carry out the work.
The Soai Rap project is being carried out on behalf of the Vietnamese Transport Ministry’s ‘Management Board for Soai Rap Navigation Channel Dredging Investment Project’. The work will enable larger vessels to access the Soai Rap river and use this route to serve the Hiep Phuoc Port in Ho Chi Minh City and the ports situated on the Saigon river.
After a warm reception at the site of the Saigon Premier Container Terminal (SPCT), the Minister boarded the ‘Uilenspiegel’ trailing suction hopper dredger.
Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works Hilde Crevits emphasized in her speech the good relations between Flanders and Vietnam in the maritime sector:
“ The dredging by the DEME’s dredger ‘Uilenspiegel’ are spectacular in Soai Rap. They are technically advanced and offer a sustainable solution. This project also demonstrates the good cooperation with Vietnam. Our dredgers are world class. I hope that Vietnam continues to rely on our expertise for major projects .”
In his speech, CEO Alain Bernard thanked the Vietnamese, Belgian and Flemish governments for their faith in and commitment to this project and also highlighted the long-term confidence that Dredging International has been able to build up in Vietnam during the fifteen years that they have worked there.
This project will benefit the entire Mekong Delta. It will provide additional employment opportunities and boost the logistics sector in Ho Chi Minh City; it will also create a raft of new opportunities for port development and exploitation in the provinces of Long’An and Tien Giang.
On 26 June 2012, the joint venture Dredging International NV – Construction Consultation JSC for Maritime Building successfully finalised the contract for phase 2 of the deepening and expansion works in the Soai Rap river to the Hiep Phuoc Port in Ho Chi Minh City. The Soai Rap channel will be dredged over a length of 54 km to a depth of 9.5 m in order to accommodate ships with a carrying capacity of up to 30,000 DWT fully loaded and 50,000 DWT partially loaded.
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Press Release, November 10, 2013