Keppel Singmarine to build De Nul dredgers

The Singapore-based yard group (a subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine) expects to complete the first two Bureau Veritas-classed vessels by the second half of 2018, with the third deliverable if Jan De Nul exercises an option within six months. They will be built at Keppel Nantong Shipyard.

TSHDs are mainly used for dredging loose and soft materials including sand, gravel, silt or clay, which can then be deposited on the seabed through bottom doors or discharged through a floating pipeline to shore and used for land reclamation. The vessels will be able to dredge to a depth of 27.6m, with a hopper capacity of 3,500m3.

Abu Bakar, managing director of Keppel Singmarine, said: “This project is a natural extension of Keppel Singmarine’s strong track record and expertise in specialised vessels. This is also in line with our efforts to deepen our presence in non-oil and gas markets where we can leverage our capabilities.”

Robby De Backer, director of newbuilding, Jan De Nul Group, added: “We need compact dredgers for maintenance work, for coastal restoration and for a variety of land reclamation work around the world.”