Custom-built trailing suction hopper dredgers

Track record

With more than 100 years of experience in the design and build of trailing suction hopper dredgers, IHC Merwede is the market leader and renowned for its efficient, innovative and cost-effective custom-built vessels.

These ships have been used by the world’s major dredging companies for such prestigious projects as the Suez Canal, Europort, Arabian Gulf ports and Palm Islands. Building a dredger to fit a customer’s expectations is a specialised and time-consuming process – from the negotiations, design and build, to the delivery and beyond – and it is one at which IHC Merwede excels.

Show all custom-built trailing suction hopper dredgers

Versatility

Manufactured at IHC Merwede’s shipyards in The Netherlands, custom-built trailing suction hopper dredgers operate in extreme conditions, at challenging depths and to handle various types of soil. They can be found working on projects around the world, including port construction, channel and waterway maintenance, coastal protection, beach renourishment and land reclamation.

Partnership

As IHC Merwede works closely with its customers to ensure that its custom-built vessels meet their individual requirements, its overall aim is to develop long-term partnerships. A fine example of the excellent teamwork and cooperation that can be achieved by IHC Merwede and its customers is the highly efficient VOX MÁXIMA. With a hopper capacity of 31,200m³, this was the largest dredging vessel ever built in The Netherlands at the time of its launch in 2009.

The 4,200m3 ISANDLWANA also demonstrates IHC Merwede's capability of manufacturing custom-built trailing suction hopper dredgers. It is equipped with a 900mm-diameter starboard side-mounted suction pipe and is able to reach a dredging depth of 25 metres.

Built for operation in the ports of South Africa, the vessel was designed to carry out dredging jobs in access channels, large harbour basins and confined areas. A high level of manoeuvrability has been created by means of installation of controllable pitch propellers and an additional electrically driven bow thruster.  

The successful delivery of these vessels shows what can be achieved by close cooperation between IHC Merwede and its customers. Both the ISANDLWANA and VOX MÁXIMA are now performing the tasks they were designed to complete, and the partnerships established between IHC Merwede and their owners will continue throughout their life cycles.

Complex state-of-the-art technology

IHC Merwede's trailing suction hopper dredgers are designed and built for specific projects and conditions with the market-leading technology for which the company is renowned and guarantees.

The SHOREWAY and CRESTWAY are 97.5-metre, medium-sized 5,600m³ hoppers that have been built for Boskalis. They will be used for global dredging operations and have been specially designed for the transportation of sand and sludge. The duplicates are ideal for working in shallow waters and the maintenance of ports, coastal protection and land reclamation projects.

The SHOREWAY and CRESTWAY combine a no-nonsense design approach with a high level of versatility. During the design process, the emphasis was placed on keeping the weight of the vessel relatively low, while maximising the capacity of the hopper.

Another successful trailing suction hopper dredger is the 11,650m³ BREUGHEL. The design was based on the trailing suction hopper dredgers, BRABO and BREYDEL, delivered by IHC Merwede in 2007 and 2008 respectively. The limited draught, combined with large width, ensures that the BREUGHEL can be used in conditions where other ships in this class would be restricted.

Reliable

Further examples of reliable IHC Merwede custom-built trailing suction hopper dredgers include: the CHANG JIANG KOU 01 and 02, built in The Netherlands and China respectively for the Yangtze Estuary Waterway Administration Bureau MOT; and the WILLEM VAN ORANJE, built in close collaboration with Boskalis.

The CHANG JIANG KOU 01 and 02 have been specifically designed with the high-current velocity and soil properties of the Yangtze River in mind. This is one of the reasons why they have been equipped with the patented IHC Merwede Wild Dragon® draghead for carrying out maintenance dredging jobs over a distance of 122 kilometres.

A characteristic feature of the WILLEM VAN ORANJE’s design is the twin-hopper concept with a combined capacity of 12,000m³. This concept makes it possible to optimise the load of the ship in relation to the draught, particularly in relatively shallow waters.

Sustainability is also a major focus. In anticipation of increasingly stringent environmental standards, space has also been left in the funnel to install equipment for the additional cleaning of exhaust fumes. 

Efficient

With specialist knowledge and vast experience of trailing suction hopper dredgers, IHC Merwede sets the standard that others follow. These vessels are the benchmark for efficiency, advanced technology and value for money across the broadest possible spectrum of dredging projects. This gives customers the confidence to know that the integrated solution they receive from IHC Merwede will provide them with a profitable opportunity to maximise the return on their investment.