Land Reclamation Indonesia: Boskalis to Develop 5 Islands near Makassar
Netherlands-based leading dredging and marine expert Boskalis won a contract from Indonesia-based Ciputra Yasmin for the development of a land reclamation project off the coast of Makassar (South Sulawesi). Reportedly the contract is worth 80 million euro. Boskalis will develop five artificial islands offshore. These islands are part of the 'Centre Point of Indonesia' project which aims at creating quality land (through reclamation) and use this land for commercial and residential purposes. Activities are scheduled to start in the second quarter of the year. It will require two years to complete the project.
Through land reclamation off the coast of Makassar, approximately 75 hectares of land will be created in the form of five islands. The islands, which require about 9 million cubic meters of sand for their creation, will be protected by rock revetments. In a press release (released on 24 March 2016 on its website), Boskalis stated it will use a mega trailing suction hopper dredger for the construction. Population growth (in a densely populated area) and challenges brought about by climate change are behind the need for land reclamation in Indonesia.