DREDGING & FLOOD DEFENCE

Healthy order book for IHC Merwede

Dutch dredging expert, IHC Merwede has been awarded the contract for the design, construction and delivery of a 5,500m3 trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) to Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) in South Africa.

IHC Merwede says that the new 5,500m3 trailing suction hopper dredger will be the largest in South Africa

The company was selected after a successful submission into an open tender process for what it said will be the largest dredging vessel of its kind operating in South Africa.

The new TSHD will join TNPA’s existing fleet of IHC Merwede-built vessels, which features the 4,200m3 TSHD Isandlwana (ordered in 2008) and the grab hopper dredger Italeni (ordered in 2013).

As part of this new contract with TNPA, IHC Merwede will execute a social development plan in order to help improve local industry in South Africa. This initiative will feature the appropriate transfer of some of the company’s advanced technology and knowledge base to aid the development of the workforce’s skills within the region.

IHC Merwede has a healthy order book. It successfully increased its order book in 2013 across the main sectors of its business – offshore and dredging. The company received almost €1.8bn worth of new orders in the past year. At the end of 2013, the order book was valued at over €1.7bn, which is the equivalent of a backlog of approximately two years.

Bram Roelse, CEO, IHC Merwede, said: “This is due to the successful implementation of the group’s long-term business strategy, especially in the dredging and offshore markets. It also ensures that we are in a strong position moving forward over a number of years and provides us with a stable platform for ongoing development on a global basis.”

The company profited from the sale of various vessels and equipment in 2013, including six pipelaying vessels to SapuraKencana and Subsea 7 – the company’s largest ever order. It is expected that further investments – related to the Brazilian market – will not be curtailed, and IHC Merwede said it intends to build upon its strong and reliable position in this territory.

IHC Merwede develops and builds innovative vessels, advanced equipment and life-cycle support services for the dredging, mining and offshore industries. These markets have been performing well, despite the global economic situation and the knock-on effect for the maritime industry.

Tech box

Length – approx. 101.5m

Breadth – 22.4m

Max hopper capacity – 5,500m³

Dredging depth – 30m

Power – approx. 6,200kW

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