Dredging: a strong ending to 2022 sets up 2023

Recent dredge deliveries and deals that occurred as we transitioned into the new year underscore the fact that, around the world, dredging contractors are looking to up their productivity and green credentials, and continue to lean heavily on the Netherlands for technology and knowhow.

As 2022 ended, Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd. (Keppel O&M) subsidiary Keppel FELS delivered the second of three dual-fuel trailing suction hopper dredges to Dutch maritime company Van Oord. Named Vox Apolonia , its green features

By Alex Marcheschi, Assistant Editor

include the ability to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG). It’s identical to the first dredge, Vox Ariane , delivered by Keppel O&M in April 2022. The third TSHD in the series, Vox Alexia , is on track for delivery later this year.

Like the Vox Ariane , it has obtained Bureau Veritas Green Passport and Clean Ship notations.

“Van Oord is committed to lowering its impact on climate change by reducing its emissions and becoming net-zero,” said Maarten Sanders, manager, newbuilding at Van Oord. “The delivery of the Vox

Apolonia is another important milestone in this process. In the designing the new LNG hoppers, we focused on reducing our carbon footprint.”

With similar timing, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation reported that the Galveston Island, the first of two newbuild trailing suction hopper dredges under construction at Conrad Shipyard, hit the water in December 2022 and is scheduled to be in operation during the first half of 2023.

The delivery of the new dredge enabled the company to continue the rationalization of its older assets, which led them to retire the

42-year-old hopper dredge Terrapin Island in the fourth quarter of 2022. Based on Terrapin Island’s age, the company has decided to accelerate its retirement to significantly reduce its operating, labor, and maintenance costs and improve productivity for the overall fleet. The retirement of the Terrapin Island resulted in a non-cash write-off of approximately $8 million.

Built to a basic design by Netherlandsbased C-Job Naval Architects, the new dredge is a 6,500-cubic-yard-capacity trailing suction hopper dredge that will be equipped with a direct high-power pump-ashore installation, dredging system automation, dynamic positioning and tracking, U.S. EPA Tier IV compliant engines, and the ability to run on biofuel to minimize its environmental impact.

The hopper fleet renewal program will be complete in 2025 with the delivery of the sister ship to the Galveston Island, at which time Great Lakes will have the largest and youngest hopper fleet in the U.S.

Meantime, in South Korea, the multipurpose vessel Endam, built for the Korean Marine Environment Management Corporation (KOEM), combined emergency oil spill recovery activities with maintenance dredging tasks and featured a turnkey dredge package supplied by Damen in the late fall of 2022.

Designed by KmsEmec, the vessel features a

4,100-cubic-meter hopper hold and was built by HJ Shipbuilding & Construction at its Busan shipyard. The mission equipment package provided by the Damen Technical Cooperation (DTC) team included a 15-meter rigid oil sweep arm with a dedicated pump and handling crane for emergency oil spill recovery functionality, and the complete turnkey dredging system, which was designed specifically for the vessel.

The turnkey dredge package consisted of both loading and discharging equipment, a hydraulic system, dredging control system, and various drives. A 900-mm trailing suction pipe designed to dredge at a maximum depth of 30 meters, is hoisted by three dedicated gantries and their hydraulically operated winches. All the trailing suction pipe components are located starboard aft.

Thanks to the DTC team’s extensive experience in component integration at non-Damen yards, the large system parts were delivered from the Netherlands and integrated effortlessly. As well as the mission equipment, the delivery scope included a hydraulic system. This

Johnson Cutless® bearings

DryMax® shaft seals

DuraCooler® keel coolers

Duramax® fendering was a logical choice as the dredging equipment is its main user. Additionally, a 3,500-kW electric dredge pump drive and a 1,000-kW electric jet water pump drive were shipped to Korea. The delivery was completed with a full set of spares and Damen also carried out the commissioning and training on board.

The vessel’s name, Endam, means “the fence that protects you” in the Korean Jeju dialect. A festive handover ceremony took place in the summer and Endam has now successfully started operating along the Korean coast.

Damen also made its mark on the U.S. Gulf Coast as C&C Marine and Repair in Belle Chasse, La., awarded the Netherlands based company its first multi-vessel order in the U.S in early January 2023. DMC will supply C&C Marine with equipment packages for four newbuild Multi Cat 3013 workboats. Each package was comprised of a steering gear and rudders, five winches, and two towing pin systems.

C&C Marine and Repair will deliver the first two vessels to Galveston,

Texas-headquartered dredging and marine construction contractor Callan Marine Ltd. and will build the second two vessels “on spec” for sale or lease to the U.S. market. The primary purpose of the Multi Cats will be to support Callan Marine’s dredging fleet; handling anchors and towing barges wherever they may be operating. The DMC equipment is designed to cope in a wide range of conditions from the subtropical climate of the Gulf of Mexico to the freezing winter on the Great Lakes.