Dutch marine projects company Van Oord has taken delivery of a new trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) from Keppel Offshore and Marine (Keppel O&M) of Singapore.
Named Vox Ariane, the Dutch-flagged, high-specification dredger has a hopper capacity of 10,500 cubic metres and is powered by a dual-fuel propulsion that is also configured to run on LNG, thus making it the first hopper-equipped vessel in the Van Oord fleet to be powered by LNG. Van Oord designed the new TSHD series in-house in cooperation with Dutch naval architecture firm DEKC Maritime.
The 138- by 28-metre dredger boasts a high degree of automation for its marine and dredging systems, which include an onboard data acquisition and integrated control system.
The TSHD has obtained the Green Passport and Clean Ship Notation from Bureau Veritas, as well as several features that Keppel O&M claims can significantly reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions to guarantee compliance with IMO Tier III regulations.
Van Oord said its engineers worked towards improving the vessel's overall energy efficiency. In order to use LNG in the engines, it first has to be heated up and transformed into gas again. Instead of simply releasing the excess cold, it is used for the vessel's air conditioning and the freezer room, saving up to 300 kW per second. Conversely, the heat in the cooling water and the exhaust gas of the engines is used for the central heating system aboard the vessel.
The dredging equipment meanwhile consists of one suction pipe with submerged e-driven dredge pump, two shore discharge dredge pumps, and five bottom doors. Onboard accommodations are available for 22 crewmembers.
Keppel is also currently building two more identical dredgers for Van Oord, namely, Vox Apolonia and Vox Alexia. As with the other TSHDs in the Van Oord fleet, these will be used in a range of projects such as coastal protection, port construction, deepening of waterways, and land reclamation. Their LNG propulsion will also make them more economical and more efficient replacements for some of the company's older vessels that operate on conventional marine fuels.
| Vox Ariane | |
| SPECIFICATIONS | |
| Type of vessel: | Trailing suction hopper dredger |
| Classification: | Bureau Veritas |
| Flag: | Netherlands |
| Owner: | Van Oord, Netherlands |
| Designer: | DEKC Maritime, Netherlands |
| Builder: | Keppel Offshore and Marine, Singapore |
| Length overall: | 138 metres |
| Beam: | 28 metres |
| Capacity: | 10,500 cubic metres |
| Other electronics: | Data acquisition and control system |
| Dredging equipment: | Suction pipe; dredge pumps |
| Type of fuel: | LNG |
| Crew: | 22 |