Europort success for DutchWorkboats
The first sale of a transportable ready to work fast hydrographic vessel with a top survey speed of 30km per hour was reported at last month’s Europort exhibition in Rotterdam by Muiden based DutchWorkboats BV and its partner, Stema Systems.
Company director Rob Voskuil said the fully equipped vessel, Sonans, which has an operational range of around 200km, had been delivered to Paans Van Oord, a subsidiary of Van Oord, for inland survey and dredging support operations. Inclusive of survey equipment, it weighs only 2,700kg and can also be used for crew changes at increased speeds of up to 45km per hour. Onboard equipment provided by Stema Systems in its role as supplier of calibrated integrated survey assemblies includes a compact R2Sonic 2022 shallow water multibeam sounder with selectable frequencies of between 200 and 400kHz and a depth rating of 100m.
Voskuil added that capabilities of the fully equipped vessel, designated Fast Surveyboat 7.50, had attracted considerable attention at Europort with a number of enquiries for acquisition and rental of existing models as well as for larger versions with extended cabins and work decks. A wider marketing presence throughout Europe, notably the UK, was also a consideration, he said.
