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Kooiman Marine Group delivers two dredgers to Van Oord


The christening ceremony of the two custom designed and custom build Water Injection Dredgers (WID) Maas and Mersey took place on 30 June at the office of Van Oord in Rotterdam. The ships are two state-of-the-art WID’s which Van Oord has ordered at the shipyard.

The hybrid vessels were developed by Kooiman Engineering in close cooperation with Van Oord. Two electrically driven pumps deliver water under high pressure, or with a lot of volume through the U-shaped water injection pipe located at the rear of the ship. With this pipe, water is injected into the soil, releasing sediment which is flushed away by the current. Multiple injection methods are possible, giving the ship optimal usability. The ships measure (length and width including the water injection pipe) 43.07 x 12.40m with a depth of 3.40 meters.

“The first sea trial with Maas was performed some time ago”, says Project Manager of the shipyard Maarten Kooiman. “The sea trials were intensive. The ship is equipped with many systems that reduce emissions and increase employability and we have tested these extensively. It also has a battery-hybrid energy management. The on-board network is powered via the flexibility of one or two diesel generators, which meet the IMO Tier 3 and Stage V emission requirements. In addition, heat from the exhaust gases is converted into electrical power which is fed back into the grid.”

“In addition to the development of a sustainable ship, we have also chosen to optimise the dredging process”, comments Rick Jansen, Project Manager New Building at Van Oord. “The ship is equipped with Dynamic Positioning and it is maneuverable thanks to the two electrically driven rudder propellers and the electrically driven bow thruster”, Mr Jansen continues. “With the very low draught, these vessels are particularly suitable for maintenance dredging in shallow ports.”

Mr Kooiman adds, “We looked at the shape of the underwater vessel in detail. Within the length, width and draught restrictions, the design is hydrodynamically optimised and the resistance is minimized. Because of this, less power needs to be installed, which directly results in a reduction in fuel consumption during sailing and even less CO2 emissions. In addition, the noise level of the ship is extremely low, resulting in maximum comfort for the crew.”

Kooiman Marine Group has all the disciplines necessary for the design, construction, and delivery of new ships in house. Craftsmanship and an eye for quality are the basis for tailor-made ships. With the deliveries of WID’s Maas and Mersey for Van Oord, Kooiman Marine Group broadens its portfolio in the dredging market, showing that custom build ships also fit in the port and waterway maintenance.