Belgian dredging specialist DEME has recently started a multi-year fleet investment program that saw it place orders for a number of LNG-fueled vessels.
One such vessel is the 3,500-cbm trailing suction hopper dredger named Minerva is the first dredging vessel in the world equipped with dual fuel engines and capable of operating on liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The vessel has a “Green Passport” and “Clean Design” notation, complying and exceeding the most strict international emission requirements, according to DEME.
The company has recently named the second LNG-fueled trailing suction hopper dredger, the Scheldt River and is expected to take delivery of the LNG-fueled multi-purpose vessel Living Stone by the end of the year, and of the offshore installation vessel Orion in 2019.
DEME has already secured work for its LNG-fueled fleet, through a contract signed by its unit, Dredging International, with the Belgian transmission system operator Elia.
The video released by the company shows the LNG-fueled Minerva during its sea trials.