The final stretch of Boskalis’ dredging campaign in northern Oman is underway, with operations focused on the last remaining seabed contours at the Sohar Port and Freezone. While the bulk of the heavy lifting is done, the end game—known as “spot hunting”—requires meticulous precision and daily coordination across the board.
In recent months, Boskalis deployed a trio of dredgers—Willem van Oranje, Coastway, and backhoe dredger Colbart—to remove approximately four million cubic meters of sand from the seabed. The mission? To carve out space for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal inside the already active Sohar port area. It’s a key project in Oman’s broader strategy to bolster its energy infrastructure and port capacity along the Gulf of Oman.
The Willem van Oranje has since wrapped up its duties and exited the region. However, the Coastway and Colbart remain on station, supported by tugboat Aquamarine and the plough-equipped multicat Sidi. Their current task isn’t about volume anymore—it’s about accuracy. Spot hunting, as it’s known among dredging crews, is all about targeting leftover high points on the seabed that could hinder future marine activity. These high spots are small in scale but crucial when it comes to vessel draft clearances and safe berthing conditions for LNG carriers.
What makes this stage particularly demanding is its reliance on real-time coordination between surveyors, dredging crews, and the overall project team. Every day, updated seabed scans are reviewed, and dredging plans are adjusted accordingly. The aim is to meet the precise depth requirements laid out in the engineering specs without overcutting or disrupting nearby infrastructure.
Although it doesn’t grab headlines the way massive dredging volumes or vessel launches do, this final push is foundational for what comes next. Clearing and leveling the seabed ensures the planned LNG terminal can be developed on time and without navigational surprises down the line.
For Oman, and particularly Sohar, the expansion represents a calculated bet on becoming a regional LNG logistics node. With maritime routes tightening globally and energy players scouting for reliable hubs, Sohar’s growth into LNG handling signals its long-term ambitions. And for Boskalis, it’s another notch in its project portfolio showing its ability to handle the gritty final mile—where margins for error are smallest, but the impact is longest lasting.
