Dredging work in the access channel to the port of Batabanó, in the province of Mayabeque, has begun with the aim of restoring normalcy in maritime transportation of passengers between the Isle of Youth and the rest of Cuba, which was disrupted after Hurricane Rafael passed through the western part of the island.
Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, Cuba's Minister of Transport, announced on his Facebook profile that these efforts aim to ensure the safe docking of the ferry Perseverancia, which is crucial for maintaining the connection between both locations.
The head of the department shared an unofficial video showing the start of operations at the entrance, while emphasizing the importance of this dredging to ensure the port's functionality and facilitate the movement of essential passengers and goods.
In a previous post, Rodríguez explained that a dredger, previously assigned to the port of La Coloma in Pinar del Río, was urgently relocated to Batabanó to dredge two critical points in the access channel to the dock and facilitate the arrival of the ferry Perseverancia, responsible for transporting passengers between the Isle of Youth and Cuban territory.
This initial work, which requires the extraction of approximately 2,000 cubic meters of sediments within five days, represents the first stage of the project.
The plan includes a second phase that will extend until January 2025, during which an additional 22,000 cubic meters will be dredged to enhance the docking area and maneuvering basin.
The third phase, scheduled for 2025, aims to achieve the levels approved in the original project, thereby restoring the port's full capabilities. At the same time, efforts will be made to turn the port of La Coloma into an alternative for passenger transportation to the Isle of Youth.
Rodríguez explained that the dredger will extract sediments from the seabed and transport them through a pipe to a designated disposal site.
This procedure is essential to combat the accumulation of sediments caused by Hurricane Rafael and the natural conditions of this coastal area, which have significantly reduced the depth of the channel.
Recently, the head of the department explained on his Facebook profile that the Cuban authorities had intensified dredging efforts at the Batabanó harbor to restore passenger transportation to the Isle of Youth, a vital route for the residents of the island region.
The minister detailed that the accumulation of sediment in the access channel, exacerbated by Hurricane Rafael and the natural movement of materials in the area, has significantly hindered the docking of the vessel Perseverancia, currently the only operational one serving the route between Batabanó and Nueva Gerona.
To undertake this work, it was necessary for a team of divers and specialists from the Marine Studies Company of GEOCUBA to carry out measurements in the access channel of the port of Batabanó.
These efforts aimed to assess the current depth and plan the necessary dredging following the sediment buildup caused by Hurricane Rafael. The collected data allowed for the design of a project that prioritizes the most impacted areas.
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