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Montserrat Port Development Project – Dredging at Little Bay Begins Thursday

Marker buoys and silt curtains were set up around the Little Bay Port pier on Wednesday in preparation of the early dredging works scheduled to begin on Thursday by the Contractor, Meridian Construction Company Ltd.

Meridian Construction Photo of the Little Bay pier with the crane and silt curtains being installed.

A crane was also installed for the dredging to be done around the existing pier structure to remove the buildup of silt and other debris. This will allow for improved access and use of the jetty for the project development works as well as for other vessels.

Several areas are excluded from the dredging until the corals and sea urchins found in the area have been relocated to Rendezvous and other neighbouring bays.

According to Rawlson Patterson, the Government of Montserrat’s Project Manager for the port development, the depth of the water varies around the current jetty between -3metres and -4metres. After dredging the final depth would be -5metres.

Dredging is expected to take approximately two weeks depending on weather, marine traffic and the number of boulders encountered, Peter Wattenhofer, the Project Manager for Meridian Construction explained.
Once coral relocation is completed, further dredging work will be undertaken across the remaining areas, to enable the next phase of the construction project.
Wattenhofer said in a recent townhall meeting on the port development that local aggregate has been sent off for testing to see its viability for use in the project based on construction requirements.
The UKCIF and FCDO-funded project is expected to deliver to Montserrat a 130m long pier by May 2024.

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