Van Oord, ABB Turbocharging Sign Maintenance Pact
Dutch dredging company Van Oord has signed a three-year agreement with ABB Turbocharging to provide fleetwide maintenance and optimization services.
The agreement comes as two Van Oord vessels receive the first turbocharger upgrades of their kind in the dredge sector and are designed to save thousands of tons in fuel and carbon emissions over the next decade.
The service agreement marks more than 30 years of cooperation between Van Oord and ABB Turbocharging, ABB Turbocharging said. It will help the owner minimize lifecycle costs and improve emissions across its fleet. In addition to offering technical support and access to the latest turbocharger technologies and digital solutions, ABB Turbocharging will provide maintenance planning and budget control based on a 10-year strategic outlook.
“With fleet renewal underway and the IMO 2030 target date approaching, we are jointly searching for continuous improvements in sustainability,” John Bertens, category manager of shipment management with Van Oord, said.
Ron Vlasblom, general manager for Turbocharging Benelux with AAB Turbocharging, said maintenance and upgrades play an important role in keeping vessels operating at optimal efficiency.
“Multi-year agreements give extra certainty and a long view that you cannot get when working on an ad hoc basis,” he said. “This is the third such agreement we have signed with Van Oord, and we are delighted to have earned their trust over our many years of working together.”
Van Oord’s largest trailing suction hopper dredging vessel was the first dredge to receive an upgrade to ABB’s TPL-A turbochargers. A similar upgrade will be performed on a second large dredge.
The TPT turbocharger component upgrade consists of improvements to several key components, including new compressor wheel and diffuser designs, improved turbine and nozzle ring and optimized low friction bearings. As well as significant fuel savings, ABB said the reduction in exhaust gas temperatures also improves reliability, resulting in lower maintenance costs and downtime.
