Significant work to be undertaken first by specialist contractors
Dredging will take place in Douglas Harbour every month in order to maintain appropriate depths for vessels to operate safely.
Specialist contractors are being brought in to undertake heavy plough dredging work first.
It’s hoped they’ll begin addressing a problem area in the central harbour basin, which has previously impacted Steam Packet sailings, early next week.
Material - comprising of hard clay and stone - cannot be moved by the Department of Infrastructure’s own work boat.
In the House of Keys this week Minister Tim Crookall said despite ‘extensive efforts’ in-house the progress had been ‘limited’.
He says the work to clear the ‘hump in the middle of the harbour’ will be completed in advance of TT and restore ‘full operational resilience’.
Pre-and post-work surveys will confirm how effective the work has been.
The department will then move to maintenance dredging once a month to keep the water depth between 6 and 6.5 metres.
Mr Crookall was questioned about why this wasn’t happening already by Onchan MHK Julie Edge:
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