Van Oord is making significant progress on the Constanța Beaches (phase III) project in Romania. The beach reinforcement works at the seaside resorts of Olimp, Jupiter-Neptun and Balta-Mangalia (Lot 7, 8 and 9) are completed successfully. Commissioned by Administratia Bazinala de Apa Dobrogea-Litoral (ABA-DL), the project is part of an ongoing initiative to protect Constanta’s coastline from erosion and flooding while enhancing tourism in the region.

To protect the beaches from storm waves, Van Oord installed breakwaters over a length of 9 kilometres. These coastal defence structures will serve to shield the coast against tides, currents, waves and storm surges. After the structures were in place, trailing suction hopper dredger Vox Amalia deposited 4 million cubic metres of sand to protect the stretch of coastline from erosion.

The project adds to Van Oord’s extensive portfolio of coastal protection works in Romania, including projects it is currently executing at the seaside resorts of Costinesti, Mangalia-Saturn and 2 Mai and an earlier coastline reinforcement project at Eforie. Taken as a whole, these projects are meant to enhance coastal resilience across more than 29 kilometres of Romanian coastline.

Recognising the value of biodiversity and ocean health, our project scope also includes the implementation of artificial reefs and bio-structures. Next year, more than 64 hectares of varying species of seagrass and algae will be replanted on the seabed to stimulate and enrich marine life. Similar initiatives have been successfully implemented in previous projects in the area and tie in very well with Van Oord’s vision and strategy on sustainability and climate adaptation.