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Ecocoast to be at WODCON for the first time
Published on 08 May ‘22
Ecocoast to be at WODCON for the first time
Ecocoast to be at WODCON for the first time

ECOCOAST TO BE AT WODCON FOR THE FIRST TIME

Ecocoast will be at WODCON XXIII for 2 days from May 18-19, 2022 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

From May 16 to 20, 2022, the city of Copenhagen in Denmark will play host to the World Dredging Congress and Exhibition, the most important event for dredging professionals across the globe.

Featuring more than 500 participants and 50 exhibitors, representing more than 170 companies and 40 countries across the entire supply chain, WODCON offers a broad scope of discussions and topics, as well as diverse perspectives. Held at the Tivoli Congress Centre in the Danish capital, this year’s 23rd congress promises to provide attendees with the latest information and insights about the dredging industry, while also focusing on new technologies and concepts.

Speakers from around the world will be in attendance, sharing cutting-edge case studies, research, experiences and procedures, alongside innovative sessions and simulation-based workshops. With the congress held every three years, the focus for each event is on the evolution of the dredging industry, and as such, this year’s event will be run along the theme of ‘Dredging is Changing’.

Seeing first-hand how dredging is changing

Beyond dredging: The changing role of silt curtains
Beyond dredging: The changing role of silt curtains

Here at Ecocoast, we have seen first-hand how this change is taking place, especially in our work with silt curtains. As the environmental impact and regulatory constraints associated with water pollution continue to be of concern, we are finding that our Ecobarrier Silt Curtains are being used for a range of different environmental purposes.

Originally designed to contain the spread of sediment during dredging and reclamation operations, today we are finding that they are being used for processes including dewatering, outfall containment to intake protection, stormwater management, agricultural impact reduction, and many others.

“There has been a positive movement when it comes to the protection of marine ecosystems during construction, and silt curtains are an inevitable part of that – they provide calm settlement areas and do not allow turbid water to spread around, which can block sunlight that plants need to produce oxygen for aquatic life,” says Filip Stefanovic, regional general manager at Bolina.

“There are parts of the world with higher awareness, like the Middle East and some parts of Europe, but there’s still a lot to be done in terms of enforcing contractors to actually use them, and/or use quality products that last throughout the project lifecycle.”

Although there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, as each project requires a design that takes into account multiple factors that are relevant to specific conditions and requirements, we offer four different types of silt curtains that can function across a variety of project needs.

Furthermore, we also have options such as Rigid Frame Silt Curtains, Submerged Silt Curtains, and Modular Silt Curtains. These options can also be fully customised based on the environmental conditions on site.

While these systems are geared towards contain particle or contaminant suspension, they also provide one of the most economical and environmentally friendly solutions.

Silt curtain applications worldwide

In Europe, our Ecobarrier Silt Curtains have been used for maintenance dredging of areas that might have a concentration of pollutants such as chemicals and heavy metals in marine sediments. Containment of these can be more of a focus than reduction in turbidity as many European rivers are already high in turbidity due to other factors, such as bank erosion and stormwater pollution.

Our silt curtains have also been implemented in a variety of ecologically sensitive habitats, such as sea-grass meadows, corals, mangrove forests and shellfish beds, as well as other sensitive areas, such as sites with socio-economic benefits and water intakes used for desalination or cooling water.

Reporting on ESG and sustainability

As sustainability reporting becomes a requirement for investment, these are all important consideration factors, and the demand for silt curtains to be more innovatively used has only grown. We have seen our systems used to contain fertiliser runoff in rivers and estuaries from farming waste, thus significantly reducing the impact of agriculture on the environment.

They have also been deployed in land reclamation projects in the Maldives and marine construction in the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as on shoreline restoration projects from damage by storms.

Implementing a secure silt curtain can help maintain the well-being of marine ecosystems, keeping them healthy and thriving, undisturbed. Some of our silt curtains can be reused instead of going to landfill. Furthermore, we can add devices to our systems to help directly measure turbidity, oxygen levels and so on.

If you would like to know more about how silt curtain systems can be utilised for your projects, do meet us at WODCON XXIII, where our delegate, Michael Sims, will be on hand to discuss how our solutions can best benefit you.

To register for the event, you can visit: https://wodcon2022.org/wodcon2022-registration/

See you there!

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While you’re here, check out DredgingToday.com where you’ll find more details on the changing role of silt curtains.

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