Royal IHC (IHC) has signed a new contract for an Easydredge® 3,700 trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) for Tecnoimport and Empresa Constructora de Obras Marítimas in Havana, Cuba.
The contract was signed in the presence of Mr Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of The Netherlands, and Mr Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Executive Committee of Cuba.
The 3,700m³ vessel is the largest in the series of standardized Easydredge® twin-screw TSHDs.
In addition to the standard features, the vessel will be upgraded with options such as: larger crew accommodation and increased autonomy; a booster pump, which enhances shore-pumping capacities to more than 4km; and a dynamic positioning system that will help to navigate through narrow passages to protect the coral reefs around the Cuban coast.
“ The confirmation of this order once again shows that our focus on building standardized TSHDs with proven technology appeals to the market, and by ensuring a short delivery time, we met our customer’s requirements ,” said Mr Bram Roelse, CEO IHC .
An extensive training program will also enable the customer to open up the full potential of the vessel. It will amongst others be deployed for maintenance works and beach nourishment projects, which are fundamental for stimulating further investment in the Cuban tourism industry.
Due for delivery in early 2018, the new vessel will work alongside the 1981 IHC-built split hopper vessel QUALITY STAR.