Conchas

In the last week of 2011 Damen Dredging Equipment delivered the CSD500 cutter suction dredger Conchas.

Its owner, the UK-based company Marina and Ports Services, ordered the dredger in mid-October. In a mere two months the standard dredger was taken from Damen’s stock and has been fitted out with a large number of customised options.

The standard CSD500 has a maximum dredging depth of -14m. A separate wedge piece was added to enable the dredger to work at a minimum dredging depth of 1.5m.

Other functional additions include a spud carriage pontoon enhancing the efficiency of the dredgers movements due to a cylinder stroke of 4m. Anchor booms of 14m length were also added.

Other distinctive features are day accommodation (including a galley, a sanitary space and a day room); a 35 kVA harbour generator set, a 4 t jib crane facilitating servicing the dredger’s engine room area, a non-return valve in the discharge piping, a stern swivel for a smooth connection to the floating pipe line, and - as most radical addition - supplementary fuel, fresh water and sewage tanks in the fore pontoons.

At the spacious operating cabin a full communication package is available, plus the required dredge pump performance monitoring instrumentation, Dredge Pack position visualisation versus chart data and navigation lights.