DSC Announces New Marlin Class Dredge Design

Reserve, La.-based DSC Dredge has announced a new addition to its most-purchased product of the past year, the Marlin Class dredge. The Marlin Class dredge is a highly customizable, underwater pump mining dredge that offers a digging depth ranging from 35 feet to 200 feet and discharge sizes from 8 inches to 24 inches.

The new design, which DSC reports is under construction and will be available in mid-2021, is a 14-inch underwater pump mining dredge equipped with a single 1,125-hp. diesel engine. The new Marlin design will have a dredging depth capability of 65 feet. In addition, the dredge will be fully transportable via both trucks and shipping containers. Its simplicity and transportability make the new Marlin design particularly useful for the mining industry, both in the United States and abroad, said William “Bill” Wetta, DSC’s senior vice president of product development and chief technology officer.

“This Marlin was designed around requests and requirements from the mining industry,” Wetta said. “In North America, the bulk of dredge mining is in inland manmade ponds looking for sources of sand, gravel and clays used in building and maintaining our surface transportation system, buildings, dams and ports (both air and sea). In developing countries, the mining is expanded into metals, other minerals like phosphate and coal, precious stones and remediation and reclamation.”

The dredge’s portability is its most standout feature, making it a cost-efficient option for transporting the plant to hard-to-reach places.

“Transport by container simplifies the entire shipping process as well as reducing the cost,” Wetta said. “For domestic shipments, our Marlin dredges normally consist of overweight and over-width loads that have expensive permitting prices and restrict travel times and routes. For overseas shipments, container freight is a fraction of below-deck stowage, and it is easier to load and unload as well.

“A recent containerized dredge shipment from Europe to the U.S. was priced at about $5,000 per container for a five-container-sized dredge,” he added. “A larger dredge that DSC transported to Africa with below-deck stowage was several hundred thousand dollars. The volume was equivalent to less than 15 containers; however, the dredge was not designed in that fashion.”

And while the single engine aboard the new Marlin design limits its size, it further simplifies the plant, with the dredge pump, excavation system, mooring system, AC and DC power and freshwater system all running off a single power source.

“The Marlin excels in countries with high air quality standards as it meets all of the current emission requirements without the use of diesel exhaust fluid or engine regeneration,” Wetta said. “The engine size and power allow this dredge to pump on 12-inch to 16-inch pipeline, depending on what is being mined. Those pipeline sizes are common and easy to handle in confined areas where large equipment is limited.”

Like some other dredge designs from DSC, the new Marlin design is a catamaran dredge. That design further enhances the new dredge’s portability, while also stabilizing trim regardless of ladder position.

Caption for photo: The new Marlin-class dredge, which will be available in mid-2021, is a 14-inch underwater pump mining dredge equipped with a single 1,125-hp. diesel engine.