Damen TSHD 650 launched for Gippsland Ports

The Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) 650 ordered by Gippsland Ports of Victoria, Australia, in December 2015 has recently been launched at DAMEN Yichang Shipyard in China. The vessel, named Tommy Norton, is now alongside the yard’s new quay undergoing final commissioning, after which she will sail for Shanghai to undertake sea trials. Once those are completed she will sail for Australia on her own keel for dredging trials and delivery. The official handover will take place in August.

Among its various marine infrastructure responsibilities for the state of Victoria, Gippsland Ports is the designated waterway manager of 1,431 km2 of some of the largest and most beautiful waterways in Australia, stretching from Anderson Inlet to Mallacoota over 720 kilometres of the south-eastern coastline of Victoria. The new dredger will be used to maintain entry to the port of Lakes Entrance and the Gippsland Lakes system, which is used by recreational, fishing and supply vessels.

To achieve this mission effectively the TSHD 650 has been modified to increase the installed propulsion power, allowing her to manage the strong currents encountered in the harbour’s entrance. To minimise disruption to the local ecosystem, an anti-turbidity valve has been fitted on the overflow to reduce air bubbles and visible plumage in the water. Additional features include an indication package to measure soil density. This allows the suction pipe to be angled precisely for accurate operations. The dredging process will be made even more efficient by the installation of the navigational dredging aid, NavGuard, indicating the area and quantity of substrate dredged.

Capable of dredging to depths of 15 metres, the dredger has been built with self-emptying capabilities with bottom doors for dumping and the choice of either a bow connection or rainbow expulsion for beach reclamation work. In order to increase the vessel’s payload capacity when dredging sand with a high specific density, DAMEN has reduced the freeboard of the vessel and applied a dredge mark.

“The client originally came to DAMEN after seeing the quality of our tugs operating in Australia,” commented DAMEN Sales Manager Asia Pacific Vincent Maes. “In a visit to China they were very impressed with the quality of the vessels being produced at Damen’s Yichang Shipyard, now boosted even further by the new jetty that makes on-site commissioning possible.”

Gippsland Ports Board Chairman, Mr Geoff Hocking, attended the launching of Tommy Norton and commended DAMEN Shipyards Group and joint venture yard,  DAMEN Yichang Shipyards, on the build quality of Tommy Norton and on the constructive working relationship between builder and client. “We are looking forward to taking delivery of the new dredger at our port in the very near future,” he commented, “and are very confident that Tommy Norton will serve us well for many years to come. Particularly as the vessel has been configured and equipped with contemporary systems to meet the quite specific operational needs of our intended application."

Damen Shipyards Group is a leading builder of hopper dredgers, and its products can be found operating all over the world.


Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 33 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 9,000 people worldwide. DAMEN has delivered more than 6,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 180 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept DAMEN is able to guarantee consistent quality.

Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, DAMEN vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.

Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.

For nearly all vessel types DAMEN offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. DAMEN also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.

In addition to ship design and shipbuilding, DAMEN Shiprepair & Conversion has a worldwide network of 17 repair and conversion yards with dry docks ranging up to 420 x 80 metres. Conversion projects range from adapting vessels to today’s requirements and regulations to the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,350 repair and maintenance jobs annually.