Holland's IHC Merede Offshore & Marine has delivered two (12,000 cubic metre) trailing suction hopper dredgers to Royal Boskalis Westminster, which is celebrating its centenary this year.

The twin vessels Gateway and Willem Van Orange, each measuring 137m by 28m, were built simultaneously by IHC's Hardinxveld-Giessendam and Kinderdijk yards to allow delivery within the centenary year.

Each dredger has been fitted with a single suction pipe equipped with an underwater pump to allow dredging work down to a depth of 62m.

In addition, the dredgers have been configured with two hoppers placed forward and aft of a centrally located pump room to improve trim for shallow water work.

Gateway has been working for much of this year on a beach build-up operation at Breskens to improve storm protection on the Netherlands coast.


Supplied by Jim Shaw