URUGUAY TO BUILD US$61 MILLION DREDGE

In November 2016 Uruguay’s Port Administration Authority ANP signed a deal with Royal IHC (IHC) to build a US$61 million trailing suction hopper dredge (TSHD). The vessel will add to Uruguay’s existing fleet of two vessels. Under the terms of the deal IHC will design build and then deliver the 4200-cubic-meter vessel whose project is expected to start in March or April this year. According to IHC the overall project management will be executed by the company’s Latin American office located in Rio de Janeiro Brazil. Basic design and detailed engineering will be supplied by IHC’s head office in The Netherlands. Other dredging parts should also be supplied by the company’s headquarters; however construction and commissioning of the vessel should take place in Uruguay as part of the country’s local content regulations. The Uruguayan vessel should have a length of 91 meters (about 299 feet) a width of 18 meters (about 59 feet) and a minimum capacity of 4200 cubic meters (about 5494 cubic yards). The project should create between 150 and 200 job positions in the next two years.