Dredging at Port of Felixstowe Supports Innovative Coastal Protection and Wildlife Habitat Project
Routine harbour maintenance works at the Port of Felixstowe is supporting a £25m Environment Agency project to bolster coastal defences.
Posted on: February 27th 2025 • Posted in: Sustainability
Routine harbour maintenance works at the Port of Felixstowe is supporting a £25m Environment Agency project to bolster coastal defences. Dredged materials will be used to create new wildlife habitats and help protect communities from flooding as a consequence of rising sea levels.
The Port of Felixstowe has the deepest approach channel of any UK container port. Regular dredging is required at all ports to ensure safe navigation and the two-year project at Felixstowe, involving the Essex Wildlife Trust, RSPB and Harwich Haven Authority, aims to collect 85,000 cubic metres of sediment for beneficial use in Essex.
The initiative is aiming to create up to 16 miles of coastal flood defences, 406 hectares of coastal flood plain grazing marsh and 240 hectares of coastal saltmarsh.
The project area is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protected Area (SPA) and Ramsar Site (an internationally-important wetland), and it is hoped that beach nesting birds such as ringed plover and little terns will also benefit from the new habitat.
It is a great example of how the operation of commercial ports can contribute positively to their surrounding ecosystems and communities.
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