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Trailer Suction Hopper Dredge

April Hamer - Trailer Suction Hopper Dredge

Dredging of the bar, parts of the entrance channel and a very limited number of locations in the inner channels is currently carried out using the Side Cast Dredge April Hamer.

A side cast dredge sucks the sand from the sea floor and pumps the sand through a discharge pipe on the vessel placing it a distance of approximately 30 metres from the dredge. This method of dredging is quite efficient and has maintained a channel across the bar for many years, however by virtue of the disposal only being 30 metres away sand soon returns to the where the channels have been dredged.

A primary aim of the Sand Management Program is to find an alternative method of maintaining the channels both efficiently and sustainably well into the future and this will include the trialling of Trailer Suction Hopper Dredge (TSHD).

The TSHD pumps sand from the sea floor and deposits it into a hopper within the dredge. The sand is then transported within the hopper to a nominated Dredged Material Grounds (DMGs) where the sand is deposited. The DMGs will be located offshore approximately 1500metres either side of the entrance just behind the surf zone.

By using the TSHD sand is removed from the bar, entrance channel and inner channels to a distance where it will not immediately re-enter the channels.

Environmental studies and monitoring ensure there are no adverse environmental consequences.