Caisson fabrication

Caisson construction at the Dakar Harbour in Senegal is creating jobs for local Senegalese, with approximately 1,500 employed during peak construction. 

The completion of land reclamation at Dakar Port in 2019, marked a critical milestone of the GTA project in Senegal as it paved the way for the caisson fabrication activities. 

The space reclaimed from the sea provided 12 hectares of land for bp and EPCI (Engineering Procurement Construction Installation) Contractor, Eiffage Saipem Consortium (ESC), to construct, transport and install 21 concrete caissons each caisson weighing 16,000 tons.

At the end of the project, the reclaimed land will be returned to the port of Dakar, leaving a lasting legacy that will support additional industrial and commercial use in future.
 

Local companies and a local workforce have been at the heart of the caisson fabrication. 

• 2,500 local companies were subcontracted (through ESC) to support caisson fabrication, following a thorough and transparent procurement process
• Materials sourced locally where possible were used to support caisson fabrication

Once created, the caissons are offloaded into the bay of Dakar, towed to site and installed on the rock foundation at the Hub and filled with dredged sand to form the nearshore breakwater which provides shelter from the prevailing weather and ocean conditions.  At the Hub, there will be a state-of-the-art floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility, where the gas will be refrigerated before onward export onto the international markets via LNG carriers.