Queen launches Boskalis dredger

The 137m long, 28m wide vessel is being built for Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. at the IHC Merwede shipyard in Kinderdijk, Holland.

The 12,000m3 hopper capacity newbuilding has a maximum dredging depth of 62m and was designed by IHC Merwede in close collaboration with Boskalis. A characteristic feature of the vessel’s design is the twin hopper concept which makes it possible to optimise the load of the ship in relation to the draught, particularly in relatively shallow waters.

Sustainability is also a major focus of the ship’s design. The ballast water is cleaned before it is pumped overboard while, in anticipation of increasingly stringent environmental standards, space has also been left in the funnel to install equipment for the additional cleaning of exhaust fumes.