Page 52: of Marine News Magazine (February 2017)

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BOAT OF THE MONTH

Damen’s All Damen’s All

New Marine New Marine

Aggregate Aggregate

Dredger Dredger amen Shipyards Group recently unveiled a new The MAD vessels have been developed with tomorrow in line of Trailing Suction Hopper Dredgers (TSHD). mind, featuring Tier III engines and, requiring no ballast wa-

The new product range, comprising of the Marine ter, fully compliant with the latest IMO regulations. That the

D

Aggregate Dredger (MAD) 4000 and 5600 vessels, was design also takes into account the possible future requirement introduced in response to extensive market research and for advanced automation. Close attention has also been paid customer consultation. The MAD vessels are potentially to incorporating the most robust equipment for operations important to an aggregate industry that, today, faces rising in harsh environments. A submerged, wear-resistant Damen demand and an aging ? eet. Designed in collaboration with dredge pump facilitates the loading of sand and gravel aboard

Maritime Design and Engineering Services (MD&ES), the the vessel. Once onboard, the aggregate then passes through

MAD 4000 and 5600 are welcome additions to Damen’s the heavy-duty dredgers’ screening towers, where giant sieves

Trailing Suction Hopper Dredging portfolio. For offshore allow for a better assessment and classi? cation of the mined aggregate operations, the new vessels will be able to work material. Following this, it is stored and de-watered in the in North Sea conditions up to depths of -60 meters. These vessel’s hopper – with a capacity of either 4,000 or 5,600 capabilities allow operators to mine sand and gravel in m3 – hence the categorization of the two types of MAD. The deeper waters, farther from shore than preceding models. operation is supported by state-of-the-art, optimized instru-

Damen invested considerably in research and develop- mentation, offering feedback throughout the entire process.

ment for the new MAD vessels, having observed an increase Upon arrival to port, the vessels’ fully automated clamshell in demand for civil construction supplies deriving from an system unloads the material onto a conveyer belt. The system overall improving economy. The development aims at of- conceived of by the design is a ? exible one, suitable for use fering industry advanced technology, well suited to existing in varying locations. According to Damen, the vessel design ports and delivering more uptime at sea. Speci? cally, Damen allows users to do almost everything within the broad dredg- tailored the technical speci? cations of the designs in line with ing mission. Operators can go out, get the material, classify the port infrastructure in the region in which the dredgers it, dry it and deliver it to location. Damen bills the vessel as will operate. Beyond this, close attention was paid to sea- the ? rst standardized design in the world with such a scope. keeping behavior in order to ensure the vessels can operate Like all Damen ‘stock’ hulls, the standardized design is comfortably and safely, even in harsh weather conditions. also versatile and takes into account the need for custom-

Notably, and unlike traditional dredgers, the bow shape ization and multi-role functionality. Myriad options exist of the MAD vessels allows them to operate in adverse in order to cater to differing client needs. The vessel can be weather conditions. The shape – like many other efforts supplied with bottom doors if required – which will offer from this builder – is based on a proven Damen design additional versatility in case it is required to perform differ- applied to renowned vessels such as the Damen Offshore ing operations. It can also receive spud poles, for example.

Carrier (DOC) and Platform Supply Vessel (PSV). In addi- And, should the client wish to scale up at any point, the tion to improved seakeeping behavior, the bow shape also MAD 4,000 can easily be converted into a MAD 5,600 protects the sand and gravel cargo from green water ingress. with a simple section addition. www.damen.com

February 2017

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