Damen Shipyards delivered a complete equipment package for the multipurpose vessel ENDAM. Owned by the Korean Marine Environment Management Corporation, the newbuild combines emergency oil spill recovery activities with maintenance dredging tasks.

With a 4,100 m3 hopper hold, the vessel was built by HJ Shipbuilding & Construction at its Busan yard and designed by KmsEmec. The mission equipment package provided by the Damen Technical Cooperation team included a 15 m rigid oil sweep arm with a dedicated pump and handling crane for the emergency oil spill recovery functionality, and a complete turnkey dredging system, which was designed specifically for the vessel.

Turnkey dredge package

The turnkey dredge package consisted of both loading and discharging equipment, a hydraulic system, dredging control system and various drives. A 900 mm trailing suction pipe, designed to dredge at a maximum depth of -30m, is hoisted by three dedicated gantries and their hydraulically operated winches. All the trailing suction pipe components are located starboard aft.

A Damen dredge pump, type BP9075HD, completed the dredge pipe arrangements. The highly efficient slurry pump is designed for both suction dredging, as well as discharging over the bow using the bow coupling unit or rainbow nozzle. This hopper discharging equipment, including 12 bottom dump valves which Damen designed, were all part of the dredge package. Furthermore, dredge valves in various pressure stages were delivered for the suction and discharge piping. Dedicated dredging instrumentation completed the package. This is crucial to monitor and visualise the dredging process and to optimise the dredging operations.

Component integration

Due to the DTC team’s extensive experience in component integration at non-Damen yards, the large system parts were delivered from the Netherlands and integrated effortlessly. As well as the mission equipment, the delivery scope included a hydraulic system. This is a logical choice as the dredging equipment is its main user. Additionally, a 3,500-kW electric dredge pump drive and a 1,000-kW electric jet water pump drive were shipped to Korea. The delivery was completed with a full set of spares and Damen also carried out the commissioning and training on board.

The vessel was named ENDAM, which means ‘the fence that protects you’ in the Korean Jeju dialect. A festive handover ceremony took place in the summer and ENDAM has successfully started operating along the Korean coast.

Damen Shipyards is known in the Dredging market for its array of vessels for different dredging projects. These vessels include a range of cutter suction dredgers, workboats and small to mid-size trailing suction hopper dredgers, or TSHDs. Recently the TSHD range has been renewed and expanded; the full range now covering hopper volumes from 650 m3 to 5,000 m3.

The updated portfolio includes both hopper dredgers for port maintenance and multi-purpose dredgers. All designs have a number of core values in common. The starting point for the designs were that the dredger be both practical in operation and in maintenance, and have a sustainable future-proof design. Moreover, each TSHD-type can be customised easily.

“Practical maintenance is of vital importance on a TSHD. Due to the continuous wear of the sand/water mixture all piping and main components need frequent checks,” Olivier Marcus, Damen Shipards  product director Dredging, explains. “In the design this has resulted in an efficient pipe routing, the use of high grade materials and ample space around the equipment for inspection and repairs.”

Moreover, the new series has been designed with sustainability in mind. For instance, no ballast water is needed throughout the operations, including sea voyages. And the designs do not have any fuel tanks in contact with the hull to avoid any future problems. The fully optimised, hence minimal amount of diesel, engines are fitted out with an SCR system, prepared for IMO Tier III, as can be expected from a responsible shipyard.

“Dredge operators always have a clear idea on the various tasks their hopper dredger is to perform, whether, for instance, channel maintenance for a Port Authority or efficient sand winning, transport and discharge for a commercial operator.” Olivier explains, “This specific operation requires specific gear; the new TSHD range accommodates this. As hopper volumes range from as small as 650 m3 to a serious 5,000 m3 they fit a multitude of jobs.” This standard range can be seen as a platform which can be fully customised by adding various options to ensure the dredger is 100% fit for its job.”

The recently unveiled complete TSHD range is the result of an industry-wide consultation. Ever increasing global trade requires revitalising ports and waterways, of which accessibility can only be guaranteed by timely and adequate dredging activities. “We fully understand that dredging is so much more than just a dredge – we therefore also offer our clients consultancy on how to tackle a dredging job, and training on the job once the dredger has arrived.”

By renewing and expanding the Hopper Dredger range Damen confirms its commitment to being a full service port support partner.

The Damen Shipyards Group has sold a full option Cutter Suction Dredger (CSD) 500 to the Argentinian dredging contractor Servimagnus. The CSD will work on the ambitious waterways programme in the province of Buenos Aires. The modular dredger is currently under construction in the Netherlands, and will be shipped to South America this autumn.

“Currently, there is an important dredging project taking place in Argentina,” explains Ezequiel Najmias, Damen Shipyards Group sales manager Americas. “One of the major rivers in the outstretched plains in the Argentinian Province of Buenos Aires, the Salado River, is undergoing major maintenance dredging.

Due to heavy siltation, flooding has become a regular occurrence in the past decade, threatening agriculture and livestock. This Damen CSD500 will be added to Servimagnus’ local dredge fleet to push forward the maintenance dredging job. The CSD500 will be fitted out with a spud carriage pontoon, resulting in an ultra-efficient dredging operation due to the impressive swing with of over 52 m – sweeping the river clean in wide strokes.”

The modular dredger will be customised using a number of standard optionals. These include a day accommodation which is placed underneath the operating cabin, a heavy duty cutterhead for breaking up compacted soils, a wedge piece for shallow water dredging and a position visualisation system for keeping track of the dredging works. Moreover, a non-radioactive production measurement system will be delivered to record the production of the suction dredger.

At present, the cutter suction dredger is under construction at the Damen Dredging yard in Nijkerk, The Netherlands. The dredger will be ready in time for spring in the Southern Hemisphere, when it will be shipped over to Argentina where to join the rest of the Servimagnus fleet – cleaning up the silted rivers.