Royal IHC (IHC) has laid keel for South Africa’s Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) third 5,500m3 trailing suction hopper dredger.
The keel-laying was held earlier this month at IHC’s Rotterdam yard with the TNPA’s general manager of corporate affairs, Lunga Ngcobo placing the coin under the hull of the new dredger.
The new dredger will join TNPA’s existing fleet of IHC Merwede-built vessels which features the 4,200m3 TSHD ISANDLWANA (ordered in 2008) and the grab hopper dredger ITALENI (ordered in 2013).
According to the IHC, the new dredger will be equipped with the most advanced dredging technology available in the world today – the automation system (DCS or Dredge Control System) which is of the latest standards within IHC Systems including trail speed controller, Dredge track presentation system and ECO Pump Control. Same counts for the dredge pump which is of the latest generation of high efficient dredge pumps.
The dredger will have its own workboat, which is part of the contract. “As we are obliged to re-invest a certain amount of the contract price into sustainable job creation in South Africa (a so called Supplier Development plan) we have sub-contracted the workboat to a South Africa based ship builder, “ Royal IHC said in a statement.
Launching ceremony for the new vessel is set for May 9th this year with the delivery scheduled to take place in January 2016, a few months earlier than it was originally agreed.
Dredging Today Staff