Damen has begun work on the the dredging system for a marine aggregate dredger (MAD) that it currently has under construction.
This vessel, which is being built at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania, is designed to extract sand and gravel from the sea bed at depths of up to 55 metres, including in the challenging conditions of the North Sea.
Damen is building the MAD for Cemex UK Marine.
The vessel has been designed with no inboard dredge pipework to avoid the possibility of the abrasive dredged material creating wear holes in the inboard dredge pipework on board making it a safer and easier maintenance-friendly system.
The dredger will have a life expectancy of up to 30 years.