Riverbed dredger arrives on Tyne

The giant dredger will prepare the riverbed for a new Tyne Tunnel

A 300ft (90m) dredger has arrived on the Tyne as work on the river's second traffic tunnel reaches a crucial milestone.

The Vesalius will dredge a channel into the riverbed between East Howdon and Jarrow, into which prefabricated tunnel sections will be dropped into place.

It is berthed at Riverside Quay in South Shields and is due to begin work next week.

Dredging is scheduled to last until late November.

The Vesalius is a suction-cutting dredger, which sucks sediment and water up, reducing the amount of silt that is disturbed compared to the usual "bucket" method.

The technique should pose a lower risk to the environment, including fish stocks.

Brian Reeve, chief technical officer at the Port of Tyne, said: "The project has reached an exciting stage, as 400,000 cubic metres of sediment, removed from the dredged trench will be pumped directly to infill Tyne Dock.

"Not only does this represent the most environmentally friendly option for disposal of the dredged material but it also provides a once in a generation opportunity to infill the Port of Tyne owned Tyne Dock.

"Once complete, the infill will provide an additional 13 acres of land for future Port developments."

The second Tyne Tunnel is due to open in February 2011, when the existing tunnel will close for 10 months to allow modernisation work to be carried out.