en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Port Authority of the Southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas has launched a tender procedure for dredging works in the navigation channel of the Port of Gioia Tauro, aimed at deepening the water depth to 17 meters in the area near the Eranova dock in the northern part of the port and the adjacent turning basin, in line with the existing 18-meter depth of the container terminal's deep-water channel.

This specific project is valued at €2,628,355 and is part of a larger water depth enhancement plan totaling €5 million. The contract modification option stipulates that the contract amount may be increased by an additional €1.3 million if deemed necessary by the Authority.

Dredging will be carried out using a trailing suction hopper dredger, with all operations conducted entirely at sea without the need for onshore storage areas. The construction area will be demarcated by a dedicated buoy field. The expected contract duration is 60 days from the date of signing the work delivery report, and operations will be scheduled to maintain continuity of port activities, limiting temporary closures to the quays directly involved in excavation.

The project is divided into two distinct activities. The first activity includes completing the dredging of the northern area to the target depth and restoring full functionality of the inner harbor and vessel maneuvering areas. The second activity involves reusing part of the dredged sediments to construct a submerged breakwater approximately 350 meters long near the adjacent coastline, as part of a coastal nourishment plan.

Chairman Paolo Piacenza described this dredging as an investment in the port's future capacity to attract cargo volumes, promote economic development, and maintain Gioia Tauro's status as Italy's main transshipment hub and the only Italian port capable of accommodating the latest generation of ultra-large container vessels on strategic Mediterranean routes.