DEME Holds Naming Ceremony for Two New Dredgers

DEME hosted a digital naming ceremony for its two newest dual fuel trailing suction hopper dredgers built by Royal IHC.

The 8,300 m³ Meuse River was officially named by the Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works, Lydia Peeters and the 15,000 m³ Bonny River by Els Verbraecken, Chief Financial Officer at DEME.

When both vessels joined the fleet, they had a full order book and directly set course to their projects. But DEME planned to bring the vessels home for a few days of celebration before they set off again. However, due to the current COVID-19 situation DEME decided to host a virtual event instead, with all the guests attending via a webcast and the godmothers performing the ceremony remotely.

Luc Vandenbulcke, CEO DEME Group, said, “Every naming ceremony is unique, but this one was truly exceptional. We were of course disappointed that our guests couldn’t welcome our pioneering new fleet additions in person but these are cutting-edge, innovative vessels and we used innovative technology to make sure the virtual event could go ahead without bringing people together. Both vessels are already proving their versatility and efficiency on projects around the world.”

Bonny River, delivered in 2019, is able to dredge very hard soils and can work in deep waters of more than 100 m. This smart new dredger combines a very long suction pipe and large carrying capacity, with a limited draught. Additionally, the TSHD has a heavy-duty trail pipe with a rock draghead.

Building on the success of the trailing suction hopper dredger Scheldt River, with Meuse River DEME can provide customers with an identical, efficient and powerful vessel for a wide range of dredging activities. Meuse River, delivered earlier this year, has a very shallow draught and a dynamic positioning and dynamic tracking (DP/DT) system to enhance maneuverability and position keeping. Just like Scheldt River, the vessel is also a top performer in terms of pumping distance ashore.

Both vessels feature several environmental innovations, DEME noted. Bonny River can perform closed loop dredging, whereby the  turbidity generated by the process water is eliminated, which is particularly important in environmentally sensitive areas. In addition, the shape of the hull and two-speed propulsion gearbox reduce fuel consumption considerably. Both vessels are designed to have dual fuel capability, making it possible to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG). They also have a 'Green Passport' and 'Clean Design' notation.