Jan De Nul invests again?

Dredging and Maritime Management, a subsidiary of the Jan De Nul Group of Companies in Belgium, has ordered the construction of a new trailing suction hopper dredger at AESA?s Sestao shipyard.

With a hopper capacity of 16,500m³, the 145m long jumbo dredger will have a sailing speed of 15.6kt. It is due to be commissioned early in 2002, and was contracted at a price of some (euro) 74 million($74 million). The agreement includes an option to build a second similar vessel. If required, the option contract will be exercised in the next six months.

The new vessel will join Jan de Nul`s growing fleet of dredgers, which already includes the jumbo dredger Gerardus Mercator (18,000m³) and the mega-dredger Vasco da Gama (33,000m³).