VESSEL REVIEW | Sandborn – New hopper dredger to support Sibelco’s operations in Denmark

Netherlands-based Neptune Marine has completed construction of a new trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) ordered by Antwerp-based mining company the Sibelco Group for maintenance dredging and extraction of sand and aggregates.

Named Sandborn, the dredger has an LOA of 42 metres, a moulded beam of 10 metres, a draught of 3.2 metres, a gross tonnage of 467, and a hopper capacity of 400 cubic metres. Diesel-electric propulsion consisting of two 368kW main engines that drive Veth 1,250mm propellers will enable the vessel to reach a speed of 10.5 knots at full load. A Veth electrically-driven 125kW bow thruster provides added manoeuvrability.

The dredging equipment consists of a diesel-driven submersible pump and a 350mm trailing pipe that can extract material from depths of up to 15 metres. The collected material is then offloaded at a disposal side via bottom doors fitted underneath the hopper. Discharge may also be performed via a rainbow nozzle mounted on the bow.

Air-conditioned accommodations are available for four crewmembers to allow for sustained operations. Power for the onboard systems, which also include an Area A1 GMDSS, is supplied by two 130kW generators.

Sandborn is registered under the Danish flag and will be deployed for projects by Sibelco Nordic, Sibelco's local office in Denmark. The vessel's main area of operations will include the waters surrounding the Port of Ronne on Bonholm Island, where Sibelco produces material such as drained quartz for its customers.

The TSHD was designed in compliance to Bureau Veritas class rules covering unrestricted navigation, dredging within eight miles from shore, and dredging over eight miles from shore with a swell height less than 1.5 metres.