Port of São Francisco – Groundbreaking Beach Nourishment Project Using Dredged Sediments Earns National Award Recognition

The innovative project, which utilizes dredged sediments from the access channel to Babitonga Bay for the nourishment of Itapoá Beach, has received an honorable mention in a national award for environmental responsibility.

The initiative, led by the Port of São Francisco do Sul, is scheduled to commence in the second half of 2025 and is part of the ongoing deepening dredging works in the bay, located in northern Santa Catarina.

The project was one of six winners of the “Portos e Navios Socio-Environmental Responsibility Award,” selected from among 34 entries submitted by port terminals across Brazil.

The award ceremony took place in Rio de Janeiro on June 18 during the National Seminar on the Maritime Industry and the Environment.

Oscar Schmidt, the Port’s Environmental Manager, presented the key aspects of the project to the audience, explaining how part of the dredged sediments will be used to expand a seven-kilometer stretch of Itapoá Beach, which has been suffering from coastal erosion in recent years.

This will be the first time in Brazil that sediments from a port dredging operation will be used specifically for beach nourishment.

Instead of disposing of the high-quality sand offshore, the material will be used to benefit Itapoá’s coastline, boosting tourism in the region.

Port directors Guilherme Medeiros (Operations) and Lindomar Dutra (Administration) also attended the event.

Sharing is caring!