Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) new 5500m³ trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) ILEMBE was named at an official ceremony at Royal IHC’s shipyard in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on 9 May 2015.
The state-of-the-art dredger contract has been built within the budget and three months ahead of schedule. The vessel is expected to leave Rotterdam before Christmas and to reach Durban by the end of January 2016.
The dredger was designed and built to achieve low maintenance costs and substantially improve productivity. She will run a 24 hour operation compared to the current 12hr operation. The vessel would also be self-sufficient in that it comes with its own workboat which, among its many tasks, will be used as a hydrographic survey boat.
TSHD ILEMBE comes as a part of TNPA’s fleet renewal program. The program began in 2010 and has to date seen the delivery of the 4200m³ trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) Isandlwana, the 750m³ grab hopper dredger Italeni and the replacement of two hydrographic survey boats.