Dredging360.com

Damen Shipyards Galaţi, Romania, recently held a steel cutting ceremony to mark the beginning of construction of a new dredger for Hanson UK.

The steel cutting ceremony for the aggregate dredger type MAD3500 took place on the 13th of June.

Marine Aggregate Dredger (MAD) 3500 is the latest vessel in Damen’s series of newly designed and recently launched specific marine aggregate dredgers.

The new dredger will be used by Hanson’s marine business to extract aggregates in the British Channel and North Sea, aided by a number of special features specific to its innovative design, including a 1,400 kW permanent magnet electric motor, which powers the dredge pump for collecting aggregates at -55m.

This particular vessel will also feature a dry unloading system built by Damen’s partner PLM Cranes BV.

According to Damen, the MAD 3500 design achieves the optimal balance between payload and efficiency within limited dimensions and is ideally suited to operating within the dimensions of Shoreham lock on the English south coast.

The delivery of the new dredge is set for March 2021.

The technology group Wartsila has again been selected by the Netherlands-based shipbuilding company Damen Shipyards Group to provide the main propulsion solutions for a large Marine Aggregate Dredger (MAD).

The dredger is being built for the U.K. company Hanson Aggregates.

The order with Wartsila was signed in May 2019 and the steel cutting ceremony took place on June 13 at Damen Shipyards Galaţi in Romania.

An identically designed vessel from Damen, which is expected to begin operations within the coming few months, is also fitted with the same Wartsila solutions.

The scope includes two Wartsila 26 engines, two Wartsila controllable pitch propellers (CPP), and the Wartsila ProTouch bridge control system.

According to their agreement, Wartsila will prepare the engines ready for use with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology to reduce emissions, making the vessel compliant with the International Maritime Organization’s Tier III regulations. When in operation, the 103-metre long dredger will be one of the most environmentally sustainable ships of its type in service.

The Wartsila equipment is scheduled to be delivered to the yard in the early part of 2020.