Record-breaking Attendance at CEDA-IADC Environmental Training
The CEDA-IADC Environmental Training Course, jointly developed and presented by the Central Dredging Association (CEDA) and the International Association of Dredging Companies (IADC), was held on 13th and 14th December 2011 in Abu Dhabi (UAE). Initiated and sponsored by the National Marine Dredging Company, NMDC, the course took place at the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT). With 37 participants attending, this was the biggest EAD course ever held.
The organisers had to enlist some extra help: the two regular lecturers Gerard van Raalte (Boskalis/Hydronamic, The Netherlands) and Nick Bray (HR Wallingford, UK) were assisted by Mark van Koningsveld (Van Oord, The Netherlands), Michael Costaras (HR Wallingford, UK) and Lena Paipai (independent consultant, Dubai).
Compacted into two very full days, the course is made up of both lectures and working group sessions. Topics covered include an overview of the "players" who may become involved in dredging projects and their perspectives; main types of dredging equipment, their environmental effects and possible mitigation measures; pre-dredging site investigations, monitoring and dredged material management. During the workshops, participants work in small groups to come up with solutions for dredging projects showing close resemblance to real-life dredging situations.
Participants represented a broad range of fields and expertise. They came from dredging contractors, consultants, promoters of dredging works, shipyards and so on. Most of them live and work in Abu Dhabi, but people also came from countries further afield, such as Australia and Ireland.
While the course is based on the book Environmental Aspects of Dredging that was produced as a joint effort by CEDA and IADC and published by Taylor and Francis in 2008, the course material is constantly updated to reflect the most current knowledge and thinking.
The Training Course "Environmental Aspects of Dredging" will next be presented in Delft, The Netherlands. Organised by the Postgraduate Academic Programme (PAO) of the Delft University of Technology, it will take place on 19th and 20th April 2012.
