Dredge naming is royal occasion

The IHC Merwede shipyard in Kinderdijk, the Netherlands, has celebrated a royal occasion: the naming by Queen Beatrix of the Boskalis trailing suction hopper dredge Willem Van Oranje .

The Willem Van Oranje was designed and is being built by IHC Merwede, in close collaboration with Boskalis.

A characteristic feature of the vessel's design is the twin hopper concept. This concept makes it possible to optimize the load of the ship in relation to the draft, particularly in relatively shallow waters. Sustainability is also a major focus of the design, with ballast water is cleaned before it is pumped overboard. Anticipating ever tougher environmental standards, space has been left in the stack to install equipment for the additional cleaning of exhaust gases.

Main features of the dredge are:

Name WILLEM VAN ORANJE

Type trailing suction hopper dredge

Client Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V.

Builder IHC Merwede

Length overall, 137.00 m

Length between perpendiculars, 125.00 m

Beam, 28.00 m

Molded depth, 13.50 m

Hopper capacity, 12,000 cu.m

Diameter of suction pipes 1,200 mm

Maximum dredging depth, 62 m

International draft, 8.00 m

Dredging draft, 10.00 m

Speed, 15.40 knots

Accommodations, 24 people

Trailing suction hopper dredges are used to remove and transport soil by trailing a draghead (1) on the end of a large suction pipe (2) over the bed while sailing so that the soil is loosened by the suction nozzle. Large centrifugal pumps transport the dredged material as sludge to the hopper (3) from where it is later discharged (through bottom doors) (4) or pumped (through a pipeline or by "rainbowing'" from the bows) (5) to the landfill. The specific applications of this type of equipment include the construction or deepening of ports and waterways. The advantage of this type of vessel is that they can be used in a range of weather conditions and sea states. They can also transport the material large distances. In addition, the ships can work independently, reducing the impact on other shipping to a minimum.