Marine contractor Jan De Nul Group has taken delivery of a new trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) from Singapore-based shipbuilder Keppel Offshore and Marine (Keppel O&M).
Sanderus, which has been named after an earlier dredger that has since been retired from the Jan De Nul fleet, is the first in a series of two TSHDs that were specifically designed to conform to both EU Stage V and IMO Tier III emissions standards for vessels that operate in inland waterways. Low emissions and a maximum loaded draught of 7.2 metres make the vessel suitable for work on projects in coastal areas and even in more confined environments such as the rivers that pass through many of the major European cities.
In line with Jan De Nul's initiative to further reduce the relatively low emissions from dredging activities – which recent data reveal are responsible for 0.1 per cent of the total emissions generated by global shipping traffic – Sanderus, as well as the other recently delivered vessels in the Jan De Nul dredging fleet (which also includes three low-emission, 3,500-cubic-metre TSHDs built by Keppel O&M subsidiary Keppel Singmarine), was purposely built to accommodate diesel-electric propulsion coupled with an exhaust gas treatment system.
Whereas some other marine contractors have opted to refit their vessels with LNG-powered engines as an alternative to engines that run on conventional marine fuels, Jan De Nul had deliberately avoided that route. The company has cited research studies that show LNG-powered engines were still capable of producing at least the same amount of harmful emissions as those generated by conventional engines and that adding a filtering system was a more effective means of reducing such emissions regardless of the type of fuel and propulsion system being used.
Sanderus is thus equipped with a catalyst that renders NOx harmless as well as a soot filter that could block fine particles, and the operator claims that up to 99 per cent of nanoparticles from exhaust gases could be extracted by the treatment system. Moreover, the vessel is slated to operate on a 100 per cent renewable biofuel oil (BFO) derived from animal waste feedstock. Recent tests revealed the BFO could reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 85 per cent over a period of 2,000 sailing hours.
The new dredger has an LOA of 111.7 metres, a beam of 24.6 metres, a deadweight of 9,880 tonnes, accommodation for 16 people, and two 2,150kW engines that deliver a speed of 12.5 knots. It also has a hopper capacity of 6,000 cubic metres, a suction pipe with a diameter of 1,000 millimetres, a maximum dredging depth of 35 metres, and trailing and discharging pump power rated at 1,500 kW and 4,000 kW, respectively.
Sanderus is presently working on its first contract, a project wherein it will help maintain navigation depths in the access channels to many Flemish ports over a period of two years.
| Sanderus | |
| SPECIFICATIONS | |
| Type of vessel: | Trailing suction hopper dredger |
| Flag: | Luxembourg |
| Owner: | Jan De Nul Group, Luxembourg |
| Operator | Jan De Nul Group, Luxembourg |
| Builder: | Keppel Offshore and Marine, Singapore |
| Length overall: | 111.7 metres |
| Beam: | 24.6 metres |
| Draught: | 7.2 metres |
| Deadweight tonnage: | 9,880 tonnes |
| Main engine/s: | 2 x Diesel-electric 2,150kW engines |
| Maximum speed: | 12.5 knots |
| Dredging equipment: | Suction pipe with 1,000-millimetre diameter, 1,500kW trailing pump power, 4,000kW discharging pump power, and 35 metres maximum dreding depth; Hopper with 6,000-cubic-metre capacity |
| Other equipment installed: | Two-stage exhaust gas treatment system |
| Accommodation: | 16 |
