Major expansion project at Port of Kaohsiung completed

The project involved three suction hopper dredgers creating 250 hectares of new land to accommodate many terminals and wharves, according to dredging contractor Van Oord.    Rotterdam-based Van Oord, an international contractor specializing in dredging, marine engineering and offshore projects, has completed the expansion of the Port of Kaohsiung.
   The client, Taiwan International Ports Corp., awarded the contract in 2015, and the work was completed eight months ahead of schedule, Van Oord said.
   The project involved suction hopper dredgers Vox Máxima, Volvox Terranova, and Rotterdam creating 250 hectares of new land for the Kaohsiung Intercontinental Container Center Phase II.
   The new land will accommodate many terminals and wharves, some of which will be equipped to handle 22,000-TEU containerships.
   “Each day, around 150 vessels pass through the port, where more than 10 million containers are transhipped each year,” Taiwan International Ports Corp. said.
   In addition to being called by dozens of liner services that strictly serve the intra-Asia trade, the Port of Kaohsiung is called by 48 liner services sailing to regions outside of Asia, according to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting’s Port Dashboard tool.