DEME Holds Naming Ceremony For TSHD Scheldt River

The trailing suction hopper dredge Scheldt River built at Royal IHC’s shipyard in the Netherlands was officially named on September 29th at DEME’s head office in Zwijndrecht Belgium.
In its efforts to comply with European Union emission standards even in Emission Control Areas such as the North Sea DEME has committed to introducing fuel-efficient vessels into its fleet. The Scheldt River is DEME’s second dredge equipped with dual fuel engines. The vessel can operate in LNG mode which requires no exhaust gas cleaning systems. It reduces carbon dioxide emissions as well as almost eliminating sulphur NOx and particle emissions. 
The new 8400 cubic meter vessel is part of DEME’s multi-year fleet investment program to further increase efficiency both in terms of productivity and environmental performance. The TSHD Scheldt River performs well dredging in shallow waters and meets and exceeds all current emission regulations. The new dredge is equipped with two speed propulsion gear boxes and combinatory mode propeller thrust control which will result in at least 10 percent fuel savings during dredging operations. The vessel also has a Dynamic Position & Dynamic Tracking (DP/ DT) system further enhancing maneuverability and position keeping. The dredge pump of Scheldt River is driven by a hybrid drive-diesel direct plus electric motor. Efficient power management solutions are made possible and the dredge pump achieves top performance both in trailing and in shore discharge mode.
The vessel also features a one-person bridge operation increasing efficiency and ease of handling and is designed and built to allow Extended Dry Docking Service (7.5 years) which means less time lost in dry-dock.