Dredger debuts with Dutch Open Day

The Kooiman Group and Reimerswaal Dredging will welcome guests and interested parties between 10:00 and 14:30 to view sand and gravel dredger Reimerswaal at Scheepswerf Gebr. Kooiman at Zwijndrecht in the Netherlands.

The 130m long and 22m wide trailing suction hopper dredger is the largest vessel the Kooiman Group has ever built and demonstrates its readiness for the next level within the shipbuilding industry.

“Together with Bert den Herder (of Reimerswaal Dredging) our design agency brainstormed about the Reimerswaal for twelve months, said Kooiman Group director Rinus Kooiman. “Reimerswaal Dredging wanted a versatile vessel to cater to their specialist work in the excavation and supply of sand and gravel for the construction and concrete industries. With the Reimerswaal, sand can also be excavated for coastal protection and beach reclamation. The vessel has a suction pipe that can be deployed up to a 50m depth, in addition to two telescopic spud poles that facilitate all-round mooring without having to maintain position using hawsers. The vessel can rainbow and undertake shore supply via the bow coupling and the bottom doors. This rainbowing can be effected over a distance of 60m. Shore supply can be effected over a distance of two kilometres. ”

The Reimerswaal can also cater to the offshore windfarm market as it can safely deposit gravel at a wind turbine base via a 48m long conveyor belt. The DP system ensures the Reimerswaal maintains position during suchworks.

Everyone is welcome to see operations at the shipyard and the dredger itself on 6 October. Guests will be indulged with drinks and delicacies aboard the spacious 80m long paddle steamer party boat De Majesteit, moored up at Scheepswerf Gebr. Kooiman especially for this occasion.

The Kooiman Group, founded in 1884, has its own design agency, ship construction, engineering and carpentry departments. It manufactures the De Biesbosch anchor and coupling winches, supplies specific push-towing components, and is a Van Eijk Haveninrichtingen supplier.