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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | February 2006 
Belgian Company Begins Rebuilding Mexican Beaches in Cancun
 Associated Press
| | An engineer watches as sand is pumped onto the beach in Cancun February 1, 2006, to replace the beach which was washed away by last year's Hurricane Wilma. The government funded plan will pump 12.7 million cubic metres of sand from the Caribbean sea bed and spread it over an 8 kilometre stretch of hotel studded beachfront at Mexico's most important tourist destination. (Reuters/Victor Ruiz) |
Cancun, Mexico – A Belgian maritime engineering and construction company on Wednesday started its US$20.8 million (euro17.16 million) effort to replace the powder-white sand Hurricane Wilma stripped from the Mexican resort's beaches in October.
Jan De Nul's company director, Marc Verhaert, along with Mexico's Tourism Secretary, Rodolfo Elizondo Torres and Quintana Roo state Gov. Feliz Gonzalez Canto, kicked off the project Wednesday.
A special barge equipped with pipes will pump sand from the ocean floor and up onto the shoreline. Jan De Nul will be charged with maintaining the sand once it is replaced.
Verhaert hopes the machine can put into place 9,200 cubic square meters (99,028 sq. feet) of sand a day to rebuild 12 kilometers (8 miles) of beach by the target date of April 30.
The government will also need to build concrete barriers to protect the beaches against erosion, Verhaert said.
Gonzalez said the project will allow Cancun to return as Mexico's primary vacation destination, adding that hotel occupancy rates should return to normal by this summer.
About 3 million tourists, most from the United States and Europe, visit Cancun annually, according to tourism officials.
Carrying 145 mph (235 kph) winds and 30 hours of relentless rain, Hurricane Wilma walloped Cancun in October, destroying homes, businesses and hotels and blowing away large swaths of beach. |
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