Dredging crews make headway at Landeyjahöfn harbour

Dredging at Landeyjahöfn harbour is progressing well, and the water is now 6 to 7 metres deep, mbl.is reports. The depth was about 3.7 metres when work began.

The dredger Sebastiano Cabato is being used to remove sand and move it away from the harbour entrance. Its dredging pipe can reach a depth of 26.5 metres. The work is carried out in three phases between September and April each year, with up to 500,000 cubic metres of sand expected to be removed.

Depth at the harbour increased after a low-pressure system passed through over the weekend. This week’s dredging has focused on limiting sand build-up at the entrance, which could obstruct access.

“We are putting a strong emphasis on doing everything possible to ensure sailings from Landeyjahöfn, as they are extremely important to the community here,” said Íris Róbertsdóttir, mayor of Vestmannaeyjar. She said she was pleased with the start made by the Belgian company handling the dredging.

Ólafur Jóhann Borgþórsson, managing director of the ferry Herjólfur, also praised the Belgian crew, saying the work was going more smoothly than before. Last Friday, rough weather prevented the ferry from entering Landeyjahöfn, and it had to sail to Þorlákshöfn instead. Dredging was stepped up, allowing Herjólfur to use Landeyjahöfn the following day.

Ólafur said a group of young people travelling to a handball tournament in Vestmannaeyjar the previous weekend had been seasick during the rough crossing from Þorlákshöfn. They were able to return through Landeyjahöfn on Sunday. He said he hoped the dredging would help keep the harbour open through the winter and prevent lengthy closures like last winter, when it was closed from around 20 January until mid-May and ferry services mostly had to use Þorlákshöfn.