Marine sourced aggregate accounts for a growing share of the construction materials.
And the demand for aggregates is on the increase: the global market for construction aggregates is projected to grow to 51.7 billion tonnes in 2019, says World Construction Aggregates, a Freedonia Group study.
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The marine aggregate industry is an essential supplier of construction materials (Image:British Marine Aggregate Producers Association)[/caption]
In the UK, which has the world’s largest marine aggregates industry, around a fifth of all the sand and gravel used in England and Wales is marine sourced, and this provides over half what is required in London, according to the British Marine Aggregate Producers Association.
In Asaba in Delta State in Nigeria, a rapidly expanding city along the banks of the Niger river delta, there is growing demand for infrastructure improvement projects with aggregate needs met from marine sources.
Two contractors are using Wolverine Class dredges, designed and manufactured by US company DSC Dredge.
The fast-flowing river brings sand downstream from the country’s interior, causing seasonal flooding. A government plan is to dredge dfor sand for infrastructure projects and alleviating flooding problems at the same time. Dredging is said to be the solution to capture this sand as a valuable resource, and use it in the city centre and outlying areas.
The second Wolverine dredge is operating in Warri in Delta State, and was bought by a marine contractor already established in the dredging business, who says “it is an ideal solution for an area that requires river sand.”
