Simultaneous with the launch of Cristobal Colon, Jan De Nul announced that its ambitious fleet expansion programme would continue with the signing of an agreement with the Shipyard La Naval for a 30,500 cu/m trailing suction hopper dredger. This vessel, which will itself be one of the world's largest dredgers, is due for delivery by the end of 2010. An option has been agreed for a second identical vessel.

These latter vessels are expected to complete a €1.8bn newbuilding programme by the family owned business which will see more than 20 new vessels operational by 2010. This unprecedented expansion reflects an order book which currently stands at over €3bn in global dredging works, more than half of which is situated in he Middle East. Such volumes of business, much of which is for large scale land reclamation works such as the 350 million cu/m Dubai Waterfront Project off the coast of Dubai, require higher hopper capacities.

The 223m LOA Cristobal Colon features two 1,300mm diameter suction pipes equipped with electrically driven underwater pumps of 6,500 kW each, enabling dredging to a water depth of 155m. It's total installed power of 41,500 kW is enough to provide the domestic electrical needs of a couple of small towns and the biggest engines ever placed on a dredger will propel the vessel fully loaded with 78,000 tons of sand at 18 knots. Discharging to shore with two 8,000 kW dredge pumps would see the contents of one load cover an entire football field with sand to a height of 6m in less than three hours. The same load would fill 2,500 lorries stretching bumper to bumper along more than 60km of highway.

Cristobal Colon will be commissioned next year and is expected to sail initially to Dubai then on to Canada, where its deep dredging capability could be called upon for offshore oil facilities off Nova Scotia.

The smaller 30,500 cu/m capacity vessel is specifically designed for operation in shallow or confined waters, with a design draught of 11m, a length of 161.5m and a total installed power of 23,600 kW.