Kooiman Delivers Hopper Dredge to Group de Cloedt

Kooiman Marine Group has delivered trailing suction hopper dredge DC Brugge to Group de Cloedt. Made from the body of Group de Cloedt’s former coaster DC Eems, the vessel, with a hopper volume of 2,450 cubic meters (3204 cubic yards) will be deployed in the dredge fleet of Group De Cloedt to work mainly in the Western Scheldt and off the Belgian and Dutch coasts. The vessel will be used to load inland hopper barges and stock the depots of Group de Cloedt.

Kooiman Marine was responsible for all the engineering and modification of the vessel including the joinery and electrical installation. The two hoppers can be loaded and unloaded separately, enabling two different types of sand to be transported. The dredge is fitted with a height-adjustable screener to sort different sand qualities.

The vessel can unload its cargo dry, wet or by dumping and is equipped with a grab discharger installation. Using a hydraulic crane with grab, the cargo can be unloaded via a conveyor belt with a reach of about 30 meters (98 feet) outside the vessel. For wet cargo the vessel is equipped with a loading spout. The dredge also has hatches in the bottom, which allow the cargo to be dumped using a jet water system. Two built-in telescopic spud poles eliminate the need for mooring buoys and in combination with the unloading installation, allow the vessel to independently unload in a variety of locations.