The Port of Felixstowe has drafted in Boskalis Westminister to dredge out the harbour andhelp reclaim land in the Landguard box for the port's expansion of Berth 9.
Over recent weeks dredgers Reynaert, Causeway, Freeway and Sospan Dau have been clearing the channels in the harbour including the Landguard box after several winter storms battered the port. After several round trips from the harbour to the spoil ground in the Inner Gabbard, the Freeway made her way to the Cork anchorage where she sat for many days while in the harbour a pipeline was being created along the back end of Berths 8&9 to the northern end of Landguard Quay where the Freeway will discharge the mud she has collected from the Shipwash Bank.
The Freeway has a full load of mud heading inwards to the harbour where they very slowly edge towards the Landguard Box where a floating pipe with marker buoys and on the end of that is a heaving line. Crew onboard the Freeway go to the bow of the vessel where the contents of the hopper is discharged. They recieve the heaving line and begins to lift up the end of the floating pipe to their connector. Shortly after they commence discharging the mud. At the other end of the pipe, water and mud gushes out as a excavator moves the mud around making the water disperse back into the sea.
After discharging the Freeway releases the connector. As she backs away from pipe, orange marker buoys that have been put on the end of the pipe float on the surface.
Using the bow thrusters the Freeway swings to starboard swiftly before running ahead on the main engines to head out of the harbour for another load. A round trip to and from the harbour takes about 4 hours.
