en.Wedoany.com Reported - The city of Itapoa in Santa Catarina, Brazil, is implementing a project that combines port dredging with coastal restoration. The project uses sand from the dredging of the outer channel of Baía da Babitonga to restore Itapoa Beach, having completed sand placement along 7.3 kilometers of the planned 8.8-kilometer coastline, with widening progress reaching 82%. The total investment in the project is 333 million reais, announced by the Santa Catarina state government, aiming to expand the port access structure and restore the coast.

As the project advances to Praia Figueira do Pontal in the southern part of the city near the port area, coastal restoration enters a new phase. In this phase, it is expected that 1.9 million cubic meters of sand will be dumped onto the beach to widen the final stretch of the coastline. To guide traffic and reduce risks during the movement of heavy equipment, the construction area will remain marked until sediment deposition is completed and the beach is reorganized.

According to the project plan, the restoration goal is to return the coastline to its 1979 level, serving as a reference baseline for widening and reorganizing the beach strip. Previously, Praia Pontal do Norte received the largest volume of sediment, and the project has also covered the more northerly Princesa do Mar area.

The dredging of the outer channel of Baía da Babitonga aims to increase the channel depth from 14 meters to 16 meters, allowing ships up to 366 meters in length to enter the port complex. Currently, the port can only accommodate ships of 336 meters, a limitation that will be lifted upon completion of the deepening project. This project should facilitate the entry of larger cargo ships and enhance the logistics capacity of northern Santa Catarina.

According to data released by the project, the dredging plan is to remove 12.5 million cubic meters of sediment, of which 6.5 million cubic meters will be used to restore the beach strip. This project is considered the largest beach widening project in Brazilian history and pioneers a model for large-scale use of port dredging sediment. This reuse gives the project a dual function, both meeting the need to deepen the port channel and widening the beach strip in erosion-prone areas.

In addition to sand deposition, the project includes dune stabilization measures, with plans to replant 280,000 seedlings to help fix the dunes and enhance protection of the new beach strip. By restoring native vegetation, the project aims to establish a more stable natural barrier.

The project began in October 2025, with the contract's expected completion date set for September 2026, and the dredging work remains linked to the expansion of the operational capacity of the Babitonga Bay port complex.

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