For half a century, IHC Merwede has had a strong history in the design and build of split hopper vessels. As an example, the Omnibarge is renowned for being robust, due to its well-balanced design. After the introduction of the first vessel in the early Sixties, this success story has resulted in the delivery of more than 150 split hopper vessels up to the present day.
The main focus of the new Omnibarge’s design lies in providing the customer with the lowest possible cost per tonne per transported mile. It combines the renowned robustness of this vessel with a new optimised hull shape. Detailed CFD analysis and extensive basin trials at the Marin Research Institute have resulted in a 15% improvement in fuel consumption – compared to other modern reference vessels – while maintaining the durability of the hull shape.
IHC Merwede manufactures all of the hopper sealing, hydraulics, drives and automation in-house, which results in a completely integrated design. The latest generation of the Omnibarge also shares the option of being equipped with a suction tube for dredging with the previous design.
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IHC Merwede, August 14, 2013