JdN places eight ship order in China

Jan de Nul, the Belgian dredging company, has placed orders with Tianjin Xinhe Shipbuilding Heavy Industries Co Ltd in Tianjin, China, for eight new vessels.

The contracts include one 3,700m3 splithopper dredger similar to De Bougainville which was delivered in 2006. The vessel is provided with a suction pipe with submerged dredge pump. In comparison with De Bougainville, this dredger will also be equipped with a self-emptying installation with a 3,000kW shore discharge dredge pump. This hopper dredger will carry the name De Lapérouse.

Two 3,700m3 split barges of the L?Aigle class, of which five have already been built and delivered by the shipyard. These two split barges will be named Astrolabe and Boussole.

Four 1,800m3 split barges. These medium sized barges will be used with the large backhoe dredgers currently under construction for the Group. The vessels will be self-propelled, and have a ‘Deep Sea’ certificate, enabling worldwide operation in offshore conditions.

One backhoe dredger, with a Backacter 1100 crane. This vessel will be identical to the two backhoes under construction at the De Donge Shipyard in Vlissingen, Holland.

Since 2003 Xinhe Shipyard has built and delivered nine vessels (five split barges, a splithopper, two cutter suction dredgers and a workboat) for the Jan De Nul Group fleet.