Dredging Strategy

One dredging contract, three material routes across Tunisia's strategic ports

Published 13 July 2026 Updated 11 August 2026 Publisher IMWO Region Africa Confidence Confirmed
DEME trailing suction hopper dredger Meuse River, used to illustrate the Tunisia three-port dredging contract announcement

DEME Group; contract-announcement image

OMMP moved the three-port works from a second single-lot open tender into a signed DEME contract, then opened a separate supervision and technical-assistance procurement. The result is one award but not one repeatable work front: containment, reclamation, offshore disposal, and shore pumping create three different production systems for the same TSHD campaign.

Published scope and current milestone

Tunisia's HAICOP procurement record shows that OMMP published the second open tender on 12 June 2025 as one budget-funded maritime-works lot, with bids due and scheduled to open on 29 July. The portal's later Complet status applies to the procurement record and does not establish physical completion. Tunis Afrique Presse reported on 7 May 2026 that OMMP had signed a contract worth about TND 125 million for La Goulette/Rades, Sousse, and Bizerte/Menzel-Bourguiba; Tunisia TV's same-day account adds a 5 May signing date and names Baggerwerken Decloedt & Zoon. OMMP's 18 May notice then opened a separate guidance, monitoring, and technical-assistance tender. DEME's 3 June disclosure confirms the contractor, staged containment and TSHD sequence, and a contract share worth up to EUR 50 million. Sousse material is assigned to reclamation; Menzel-Bourguiba/Bizerte combines reclamation and offshore disposal; and Rades/La Goulette requires all material to be pumped ashore. On 11 August 2026 HAICOP still showed supervision tender 102281 as Published, last updated 29 May, with 2 September only as its planned execution-start field. The signed main contract is public, but no supervision award, notice to proceed, fleet mobilisation, dredged quantity, containment completion, approved material destination, production or acceptance is public.

Dredging quantity and delivery implications

The contract's main delivery risk is not a headline dredging volume, which has not been published. It lies in keeping enabling works, material destinations, pipelines, storage, supervision and a fleet moving among ports more than 200 km apart synchronized.

Evidence conclusion

Survey, placement and acceptance evidence

This contract should be managed as three linked material systems rather than one dredging production curve. Sousse depends on containment and reclamation readiness. Bizerte/Menzel-Bourguiba adds an allocation decision between reclamation and offshore disposal. Rades/La Goulette depends on shore-pumping capacity and a designated receiving area. A delay in any destination can idle the TSHD or force a change in port sequence, so material acceptance is a schedule control, not a downstream environmental formality.

Outstanding evidence

  • Containment-dike readiness before reclamation starts
  • TSHD mobilization and inter-port sequence
  • Material characterization and offshore-disposal approvals
  • Shore-pumping route and receiving-area readiness at Rades/La Goulette
  • Award and September start of the separate supervision assignment

Related records 1

Subject index

Related subjects

These subject pages bring together related projects, technical articles, reports, and evidence methods.

Sources used 8

Source collections