Largest dredger arrives in Guyana for shore base project

MV Galileo Galilei, owned and operated by the Jan De Nul Group – the joint venture partner of NRG Holdings – has docked in Port Georgetown and has been deployed to the Vreed-en-Hoop shore base project site.

The vessel’s arrival marks the beginning of the sand key reclamation phase of the project, during which the dredger will clear the existing area and begin the process of adding reclaimed material for the creation of an artificial island on which the construction of the new terminal will be situated. This project will, in the first phase, add more than 44 acres to Guyana’s coastline.
The first step of this project started in June with the dredging of the access channels in the Demerara River, including the deepening/widening of the existing nautical channel, berth pockets, and turning basin.
MV Galileo Galilei is one of the largest trailing suction hopper dredges in Guyanese waters. It has worked on projects such as the recent beach expansion in Brazil, and on other port projects.
Vreed-en-Hoop Shore Base Inc (VEHSI) forms part of the Port of Vreed-en-Hoop. Phase one of the project is meant to be the special purpose vehicle to serve as subsea umbilicals, flowlines and riser shore base for projects of Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL).
VEHSI is currently the largest Guyanese private sector investment in the oil and gas sector, and is expected to cost over US$300 million. The project is expected to become operational in 2023.