Keel-laying Of Van Oord CSD Athena
Friday 19 February 2010, Ms H. Vos-van Genderen, wife of Mr P.F. Vos, retired Van Oord Plant Design and Construction Manager, performed the keel-laying ceremony of yard number CO 1261 at IHC Dredgers‘ Kinderdijk location in the Netherlands: Van Oord‘s giant self-propelled cutter suction dredger Athena. The cutter is expected to be operational late October 2011.
With its overall length of 129 m, beam of 27.80 m, and total installed power of 24,000 kW, Athena will be one of the most powerful and innovative cutter suction dredgers in the world and the biggest cutter in the Van Oord fleet. The CSD – with a maximum dredging depth of 28 m – will be equipped with two on-board dredge pumps and one submerged dredge pump on the cutter ladder and will be able to house a crew of 44.
The cutter suction dredger is characterized by its high level of reliability and its robust construction. In addition to state-of-the-art components and materials, a large number of innovative and sustainable systems are also used, including a new-generation hydraulic flexible spud carriage to increase workability, IHC Cutter Special pumps for excellent suction power and efficient mixture transport, flexibly designed engines and a flexibly designed deck house to provide comfort in the accommodation and wheelhouse and environmentally friendly systems and accreditations, including the ‘green passport’. The vessel complies in all respects with the latest, more stringent regulations on emissions.
At the initial steel cutting ceremony,- that took place on 11 August last year, Van Oord CEO Pieter van Oord said: “Expanding our fleet with our first self-propelled cutter suction dredger is an important step for Van Oord. Building this cutter suction dredger will reinforce our position in this key segment. This investment completes our EUR 1 billion investment programme for 2007 – 2011.”