Beach Nourishment in top tourist destination

Why Beach Nourishment? Preservation and restoration

According to the European Climate Adaptation Platform (Climate-ADAPT), Beach nourishment or replenishment is the artificial placement of sand on an eroded shore to maintain the amount of sand present in the foundation of the coast, and this way to compensate for natural erosion and to a greater or lesser extent protect the area against storm surge.

Climate change and the expected rise in the sea level require forceful coastal management. Beach nourishment is probably the best management tool that protects and controls coastal development without degrading the beach.

Beach nourishment also often aims at maintaining beach width for tourism and recreational purposes. The process involves dredging material (sand, gravel, small pebbles) from a source area (offshore, near-land or inland) to feed the beach where erosion is occurring. 

Beach Nourishment in Blåvand 

In 2022, Rohde Nielsen was awarded a Beach Nourishment project by the Danish Coastal Authority in Blaavand. With 50 years of experience carrying out marine dredging projects, Rohde Nielsen has preserved, restored and developed the coasts and ports of the world.

At Blaavand the North Sea is very special. The sandy beach area is plain, beautiful and magnificent, and it reaches 40 km. Blåvand is known as one of the biggest tourist areas in Denmark, especially for its beaches and vacation homes.

Rohde Nielsen applies three methods of protecting the coast in the most environmentally responsible way.

• Either they pump sand on the beach using a floating or submerged pipeline.
• Or they pump dredged material directly out over the bow of the ship to the fore shore, also referred to as The Rainbow Method.
• Thirdly, they can dump sand close to the shore using state-of-the-art split hopper dredgers.

Rohde Nielsens three TSHDs, Magni R, Ask R, and Embla R dredged approximately 284.000 m3 of sand from an offshore winning area and pumped it onto the beach along a 5.4 km stretch through two pipelines, placed by Vidar R and Loke R.

This beach nourishment was more difficult because of the shallow water depths and the long pumping distance of 1500 meters with 1700 meters along the beach.

The work started in November and was completed in January 2023!

See open positions at Rohde Nielsen,