Polish maritime office christens newest dredger

The Maritime Office in Gdynia in northern Poland formally named a new trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) in a ceremony on Friday, August 9. Ursa ("Bear") was built by Finnish shipyard Tyovene to a design by Netherlands-based C-Job Naval Architects.

The TSHD has a steel hull, a length of 62.75 metres, and a hopper capacity of 950 cubic metres. Dredging can be performed at water depths of as much as 18 metres. The dredging equipment supplied by Holland Marine Technologies includes a suction drag arm and a dredge pump with a flow rate of 3,500 cubic metres per hour.

Ursa will be used to preserve the main waterway between the Gulf of Gdansk through the Vistula Lagoon to the Elbląg River. It will also be used to maintain track depth parameters of smaller ports of the Vistula Lagoon.

The TSHD has its wheelhouse and accommodation placed at the front. This will ensure it can pass safely underneath the Trasa Unii Europeiskej bridge.