Damen wins CSD order from Paraguay

Cutter Suction Dredge will be dsassembled for shipment to landlocked Paraguay,

Damen Shipyards Group has signed a contract to supply Paraguay’s Ingeniería de Topografía y Caminos S.A. (T&C) with a customized CSD 500 cutter suction dredge.

T&C will use the dredge to transform the southern river bank of the capital Asunción, in the Costanera Sur project. For decades parts of the city have flooded annually due to their proximity to the river. As a result, residential and industrial areas have gradually moved away from the waterside, paving the way for the creation of a 7.5-meter embankment to prevent flooding.

“We are very proud to be taking part in this project, which is contributing significantly to the sustainability and economic prosperity of Asunción,” says Francisco Griño, vice president of T&C. “As well as keeping the city safe and dry, the barrier will enable a better circulation of traffic, facilitating better trade in the capital and generally improving the quality of life.”

The prestigious project has a challenging deadline: all sand relocation works, including dredging, have to be finished within two years. In total 9 million cu. m of sand will have to be dredged.

The modular dredge will sharply increase sand production, required to meet the project’s ambitious projects deadlines.

“We purchased the reliable Damen dredge to be able to meet our strict deadlines,” Griño says. “The total project is scheduled to take five years and is dependent on the timely production of sand. The CSD 500 will boost our dredging capacity.”

The dredge’s modular design will facilitate its delivery to landlocked Paraguay. It will soon be shipped fully dismantled from Antwerp to Montevideo, Uruguay, before being transferred to river barge to be transported up the Paraguay River.

On arrival, a Damen team will assemble the dredge and provide training to the crew in its use.

Facilitating the fast delivery of the dredge is Damen’s practice of building standard vessels for stock. The company is able to customize its products for its clients’ specific requirements using modular options. In this case, Damen is adding, among other things, anchor booms, a spud carriage pontoon and a deck crane.