Keppel O&M delivers second dual-fuel Van Oord TSHD
Written by Nick BlenkeyKeppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M) subsidiary Keppel FELS has delivered the second of three dual-fuel trailing suction hopper dredges to Dutch maritime company, Van Oord. Named Vox Apolonia, its green features include the ability to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG). It is identical to the first dredge, Vox Ariane, delivered by Keppel O&M in April this year. The third TSHD in the series, Vox Alexia, is on track for delivery in 2023.
“We are pleased to deliver our second dual-fuel dredge to Van Oord, extending our track record in delivering new build high quality and sustainable vessels,” said Tan Leong Peng, managing director (new energy / business) at Keppel O&M. “LNG plays an important role in the clean energy transition. Through our ongoing partnership with Van Oord, we are pleased to support the industry’s transition to a more sustainable future by delivering efficient vessels with more environmentally friendly features.”
Meeting IMO Tier III regulations, the Dutch flagged Vox Apolonia has a hopper capacity of 10,500 cubic meters and includes several features that reduces fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Like the Vox Ariane, it has obtained Bureau Veritas Green Passport and Clean Ship notations.
“Van Oord is committed to lowering its impact on climate change by reducing its emissions and becoming net-zero,” said Maarten Sanders, manager, newbuilding at Van Oord. “We can make most progress by investing in the decarbonization of our vessels, since approximately 95% of Van Oord’s carbon footprint is linked to its fleet. The delivery of the Vox Apolonia is another important milestone in this process. In the designing the new LNG hoppers, we focused on reducing our carbon footprint and working more efficiently by reusing energy and making optimal use of the automated systems in combination with electrical drives.”
The Vox Apolonia is equipped with a high degree of automation for its marine and dredging systems, as well as an onboard data acquisition and integrated control system to enhance efficiency and operational cost savings.
The TSHD has one suction pipe with a submerged e-driven dredge pump, two shore discharge dredge pumps, five bottom doors, a total installed power of 14,500 kW, and can accommodate 22 persons.