Van Oord orders third Keppel dredger

This latest investment is part of a broader fleet renewal programme in the dredging business unit and the vessel is similar to the two vessels that Van Oord ordered in May 2018. The new hoppers will replace existing vessels and support Van Oord’s aim of making its fleet more automated and energy efficient.

“In designing the hoppers, we focused on reducing our carbon footprint and working more efficiently by reusing energy and making optimal use of the automated systems in combination with electrical drives,” said Stefan Hansum, Van Oord’s plant design and construction manager.

Each vessel has a hopper capacity of approximately 10,500m³ and measures 138m in length and 28m across the beam. The climate control system on board will use the vessel’s existing cooling and heating sources to recycle energy as efficiently as possible.

The Dutch-flagged vessels will each be equipped with a suction pipe with submerged e-driven dredge pump, two shore discharge dredge pumps, five bottom doors, and a total installed power of 14,500kW. They will have accommodation for a crew of 22 and will obtain a Green Passport and Clean Ship Notation.

The first two vessels, Vox Ariane and Vox Apolonia, will be delivered in 2021 with the third scheduled for delivery in 2022.