In 2013, together with Colombian Partner Gómez Cajiao, Royal HaskoningDHV was appointed by the Government of Colombia for the restructuring of the 120km Canal del Dique.
The project is now in the final review stage before completion, which is currently scheduled for February 2017.
The challenges around the project included restoring and preserving the ecological areas surrounding the Canal which travels through a series of marshes and wetlands.
“Working with Colombian engineering firm Gomez Cajiao and Dutch knowledge institute Deltares, we have led the studies and re-design of the canal including restructuring of dikes, new locks and marsh improvements,” Royal HaskoningDHV said in its announcement.
“The shipping route is extremely important for the well-being of the local economy, and ships using the canal route will now see locks and regulating installations, which is a first for Colombia, ” Eric Brasser, Senior Project Manager said.
“These will enable us to limit the amount of water and sediment flows in the canal so that we can make sure shipping activities can continue without any problems. Together with our partners, we are looking forward to the completion of the project early next year and we hope to continue our involvement in the construction phase.”
The lock and weir will regulate the level of the Canal del Dique between 2-8m with a discharge between 50 and 900 m³/s. The locks will also be able to hold barge convoys up to 230m long, 32m wide and with a 1.83m draught.
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