For the extension Maasvlakte 2 of the Port of Rotterdam, 220 million m³ of sand was extracted between 2009 and 2013. The maximum extraction depth was 20m below seabed, which is tenfold the traditional limit. This method reduced the directly impacted surface area from 110 km² to 11 km².

Two sandbars

Two sandbars mimicking natural sand waves were left behind after extraction to increase habitat heterogeneity.26 This is one of the optimisations researched in OR ELSE (recommendations for Ecosystem-based large-scale sand extraction) a consortium of 21 partners funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) programme.

What is next?

Two sandbars mimicking natural sand waves were left behind after extraction to increase habitat heterogeneity.26 This is one of the optimisations researched in OR ELSE (recommendations for Ecosystem-based large-scale sand extraction) a consortium of 21 partners funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) programme.