Royal IHC has secured a contract from Belgium-based DEME for the design and build of four new vessels. The order consists of a copy of the recently delivered 8,400m3 trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) SCHELDT RIVER, a 2,300m3 TSHD, and two 3,500m3 split barges. The SCHELDT RIVER was delivered in 2017 and due to its innovative design has won several awards: it has, for example, won the ‘DPC Innovation Award’ for the world’s first LNG-powered dredging vessel, and is currently nominated for the ‘KNVTS Ship of the Year’ award. Since its delivery, the vessel has been operating continuously on several projects in Europe.
The compact design of the 2,300m3 TSHD is characterised by a small draught and can be deployed for projects in shallow water worldwide. The two split barges are based on the IHC standard split trail 3,500 design. The ease and speed of disposal makes them highly attractive for use in combination with backhoe dredgers, grab hopper dredgers and CSDs such as the SPARTACUS, which is currently being built by IHC in Krimpen aan den IJssel, The Netherlands.
Dave Vander Heyde, CEO of Royal IHC: “IHC is proud that DEME has ordered four highly competitive new vessels. With this order, the number of trailing suction hopper dredgers in the fleet of DEME, designed and built by IHC, adds up to 21. The partnership with DEME has proven to be successful in the past, and we are pleased to continue our partnership with them by adding more value and technical capabilities to their advanced fleet.”
“This order once again signifies our ongoing commitment to operate the most modern, versatile and environmental friendly fleet in the industry,” says Alain Bernard, CEO and Director of DEME. “With our multi-year fleet investment programme we are driving new levels of performance, further enhancing the capacity of our fleet, and providing our clients with flexible solutions for dredging and reclamation projects in various environments.”