Anchorage

Thecla Bodewes Shipyards in Harlingen has launched the 3000-cubic-metre Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) Anchorage. The dredger is equipped with a smart diesel-electric system that efficiently regulates the energy supply for sailing, dredging and unloading the ship and an intelligent automation package.

The new propulsion system reduces emissions and was developed in close collaboration between Barkmeijer Shipyards and D&A Electric. For the control and monitoring of the dredging process, the vessel is equipped with an intelligent automation package that allows the dredging, sailing and maintenance operations to be handled by a limited crew of only seven to eight members.

Extracting sand and gravel
This TSHD has been built especially for extracting sand and gravel at sea, with a capacity of 3000 cubic metres per hour. An underwater pump, mounted in the suction pipe, brings the sand/gravel mixture to a sieve, which separates the sand and gravel and deposits the preferred cargo into the hopper and discharges the unwanted material back into the sea.

Then during the trip to the port of discharge, the water is removed from sand or gravel, so that the cargo can be unloaded “dry” by the ship’s onboard ship-to-shore discharge system.

Dutch design and build
The dredger has a length of 105.90 metres, is 15.85 metres wide and has a draft of 6.94 metres with ample accommodation on board for fourteen crew members. It was developed in the Netherlands and built in collaboration with Dutch suppliers, mainly from the north of the Netherlands.

The design and construction of the dredger, build number 347, was undertaken by Barkmeijer Shipyards in Stroobos, part of the Thecla Bodewes Shipyards Group. In April 2019, the hull was towed to the shipyard in Harlingen, where the ship was completed by order of De Hoop Terneuzen BV. The launch took place on Friday 24 January.