Successful Launch Of DEME TSHD Congo River
The 30,000cu.m trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) Congo River was successfully launched early Friday evening on 21 January 2011 at the IHC Merwede shipyard in Krimpen aan den IJssel, the Netherlands. IHC Merwede is building the THSD for the DEME Group. The Congo River will be one of the largest in the fleet. The contract for the design, construction and delivery of the vessel was signed in December 2008.
The keel for the Congro River was laid a year later on 15 December 2009. She will be named during a formal ceremony in Zeebrugge on 8 July 2011. The name Congo River is in line with the tradition of DEME NV to name some of its large ships after the world’s great rivers. The Congo River TSHD is an innovative and versatile vessel, which has excellent manoeuvrability and is also multifunctional because of its limited length-to-width ratio. With a relatively low draught when fully loaded, the dredger will be able to manoeuvre easily in shallow waters. This makes the TSHD suitable for working in ports as well as for long-distance sand transportation. With this vessel, DEME expands its fleet of highly competitive ships, which began with the Pallieter-class and Brabo-class. Fitted with a deep suction dredging installation, the Congo River can dredge to depths greater than 100 m. It also features one-man bridge operation.