ICE and Damen Provide Low Tech Dredge For India Project

ICE and Damen Dredging Equipment have delivered a dredge package to Navayuga Engineering Company India. Navayuga is working on the modernization of the Port of Krishnapatnam and required a small versatile dredge. The delivered submersible dredge pump and power pack will do the job making use of a local pontoon and hoisting gear.

The submersible dredge pump type DOP2320 is a compactly built hydraulically-driven dredge pump with a mixture capacity of 1000 cubic meters per hour. The pump is powered by an ICE power pack type 335RF with a 242 kW Caterpillar C9 under its bright green canopy. Together with a floating pipeline and some advice this is all what has been delivered. Locally a pontoon was made available on which a second hand winch and a locally made gantry were placed. Thus at relatively low cost and at short lead times an efficient dredging tool was made.

The Port of Krishnapatnam is a small iron ore harbor but is undergoing a transition into a modern deep-water port. The ongoing extension phase – including deepening to 20 meters – is being done by various contractors. Van Oord is removing 10 million cubic meters from the access channel offshore and three cutter suction dredges belonging to Dharti are deepening the harbor removing six million cubic meters of sediment. The harbor has many small corners and inaccessible spots where the newly built DOP-dredge is being used.

The DOP-dredge shows that local components can be used very well to create the right tool for the job. And locals have shown their enthusiasm as well not only by crowding the dredge but by swimming the floating pipeline to the disposal site.