Damen equips Multi Cat for shallow water dredging duties

Damen Shipyards Group has delivered a Multi Cat 1908 to Murjan Al-Sharq Marine Services. Adding shallow-water dredging capacity to the abilities of this already multi-faceted platform, DAMEN has fitted the vessel out with a DAMEN DOP Submersible Dredge Pump 250, the company said in its press release.

Murjan Al-Sharq Marine Services is based in Saudi Arabia. The company provides marine construction and maintenance, dredging, diving and subsea services. The company’s new vessel, called Murjan 40, has been equipped with a DAMEN DOP 250. This submersible dredge pump has a 1,250 m3/h capacity and can be deployed for sand mining and maintenance dredging activities.

Speaking at the vessel handover at DAMEN Shipyards Hardinxveld, Chairman of Murjan Al-Sharq Marine Services, Abdullah Natheer said, “By adding a DOP pump to a Multi Cat, we instantly have a dredger – but a dredger which can also undertake the full range of tasks the Multi Cat can do as well.” Indeed, Damen’s Multi Cats are renowned for being able to take on an extremely broad scope of marine support duties for an equally wide range of maritime sectors.

The Murjan 40 has also been installed with a spud system that can be deployed in water depths of up to 10 metres. This will make dredging operations considerably more straightforward as this removes the need for a complex, 4-point mooring system. For operations in deeper waters, the spud system can be extended.

Dredging operations will be accomplished by lowering the DOP pump into the water with the Multi Cat’s crane or A-frame. The crane will also be used to handle the spuds.

With the vessel’s first contracts already finalised, Mr Natheer pointed to the benefits of combining the shallow draught of the Multi Cat with the dredging performance of the DOP pump. “Shallow water dredging usually requires a lot of very sophisticated, expensive equipment. A solution such as this represents a cost-effective alternative.”

The relationship between DAMEN and Murjan Al-Sharq Marine Services goes back to five years ago, when the two companies began talking about vessel options. “This continued when, three years ago, Mr Kommer DAMEN paid us a visit – something that meant a lot to us,” said Mr Clark. “And now, facilitated by DAMEN Customer Finance, we are pleased to have purchased our first DAMEN vessel.”

Speaking after the vessel handover, DAMEN Sales Manager Middle East Jeremy Elschot said: “We are very proud to deliver this versatile Multi Cat dedicated for multiple marine tasks in the Arabia Gulf and Red Sea. We would like to thank Murjan Marine for their trust in DAMEN and look forward to develop many more projects to come.”



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.

Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has a worldwide network of sixteen repair and conversion yards of which twelve are located in North West Europe. Facilities at the yards include more than 50 floating and (covered) drydocks, the largest of which is 420 x 90 metres, as well as slopes, ship lifts and indoor halls. Projects range from the smallest simple repairs through Class’ maintenance to complex refits and the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,350 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyage.