Queen Elizabeth Carriers – DIO awards contract to dredge Portsmouth Harbour

DIO has awarded the £31 million contract to dredge Portsmouth Harbour to Boskalis Westminster.The Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers will be significantly larger than any vessel that currently uses Portsmouth Harbour. Boskalis Westminster will dredge the approach channel, inner harbour area and berth pocket, making these deep and wide enough for the new ships. In all around 3 million cubic metres of clay, sand and gravel will be removed from the harbour. Dredging works are planned to start in late autumn, using trailing suction hopper dredgers and backhoe dredgers, and will be