I was lucky enough to be part of a camera club visit to the harbour mouth area on a number of occasions during the harbour widening project. The pictures in this album were taken on 27 September 2008.

All pictures (c) 2008 Allan Jackson. Click to view enlargements.

	Work proceeds on the new north breakwater. The diagonal line of rock from the bottom left-hand side of the picture was to be the wall of the breakwater. You can see that the rock is laid on top of ??special fabric?? to help waterproof the breakwater. All the ground on the right of the rock was due for removal.
	Visble on the right is part of the old breakwater wall and, on the left, where land is being removed to widen the entrance channel.
	The mighty Pinnochio dredger barge about to start work digging in the entrance channel.
	The entrance channel.
	A backhoe works on removing the ground next to the old sand pumping station. The only backhoe I've seen with a life preserver attached to it.
	Loading one of an interminable line of dumper trucks with earth and rocks for disposal.
	A backhoe removing pipe from the site. I suspect it was a remant of the sewage pipe from Durban discharged its sewage off of the northern breakwater on the outgoing tide.
	A backhoe removing pipe from the site. I suspect it was a remant of the sewage pipe from Durban discharged its sewage off of the northern breakwater on the outgoing tide.
	More digging.
	A view from the worksite, looking towards the southern breakwater showing where land had already been dug out. The floating tube was a temporary arrangement which would allow dredgers to pump sand ashore into the beach pumping scheme.
	Moving pipe again.
	Looking along the new breakwater which was eventuially to link up with the section shown in the first picture in this album. The crane in view is the mighty Mamoet crane which was being used to lift and plave the concrete antifers and dolosse which were being used to armour the breakwater.
	The Mamoet crane.
	The clam used by the Mamoet crane to lift the antifers shown here. Each of the antifers is numbered and a precise record is kept of where is placed.
	The Mamoet crane.
	Intrepid photographers at the end of the new northern breakwater. At this stage, it was not that far off its full length.
	Looking back from the end towrds the Mamoet crane.
	The project survey vessel rounds the end of the new breakwater. It surveyed the ocean floor in the vicinity of the job site and provided workers with a realtime view of the fast-changing conditions.
	The Mamoet crane.
	More digging.
The panorama above was made up of the 5 individual shots below.
	Panorama Shot 1: To take this picture, I was standing close to the fence of the beach sand pumping installation. In the far background is the Durban beachfront and, in the middle distance, the northern breakwater.
	Panorama Shot 2: This follows on from the shot above. Bear in mind that all the ground to right of the beakwater, including the pumping station was to be dug out.
	Panorama Shot 3:
	Panorama Shot 4: The southern breakwater comes into view.
	Panorama Shot 5:
	Digging again.
	The Pinnochio dredger. I could have watched it all day digging out the entrance channel and dumping the sand in the barge alongside..
	The white giant mounted on Pinocchio is a Leibherr 996 Pontoon Excavator which has an operating weight (with bucket) 520000kg and 3046 horse power. It can deploy a bucket with capacities ranging from 3-25 tons and can dig at depths of between 13.1 and 38m below the surface.
	Pinnochio
	Pinnochio
	Pinnochio
	Pinnochio
	Pinnochio
	Pinnochio
	More digging.
	Looking back towards the NSRI building with the rock in the middle marking the side of the new breakwater. All the ground to the left of the rocj was due for removal.
	The newly-built wall to protect the new breakwater shows at bottom left, and next to that, is the formwork which would have used to form the next section of wall. Everything between the wall and the vessel in the entrance channel was due for removal.
	And the same here.