Van Oord has ordered two additional water injection vessels from Kooiman Marine Group after the successful operation of two earlier sister vessels in 2021.
Built at Vahali Shipyards in Serbia to the same specification as the earlier Maas and Mersey, the first of the two new vessels will be commissioned in the first half of 2024.
“Our water injection dredgers Maas and Mersey are getting identical sisters! And their names are…Rijn and Rhône!” said Van Oord.
The vessels also feature mass flow and power jetting systems, as well as heave compensation and dynamic positioning which are said to allow dredging to be largely automated.
Dredging ‘the natural way’
Water injection dredging is reportedly an environmentally friendly way of maintaining the depth of waterways, removing sediment the ‘natural way’. High manoeuvrability and limited draught mean the vessels are ideal for dredging in shallow harbours.
The vessels also feature mass flow and power jetting systems, as well as heave compensation and dynamic positioning which are said to allow dredging to be largely automated.
Kooiman Marine Group said it gave particular attention to energy use, equipping the dredgers with a diesel-electric hybrid system which allows energy to be stored in batteries for propulsion or other uses.
The new vessels comply with IMO TIER III legislation for reducing harmful NOx emissions and take account of EU STAGE V legislation.
