Dutch marine contractor Van Oord has christened its second LNG-powered trailing suction hopper dredger, Vox Apolonia, in Rotterdam.
During a two-day christening event, the 137.5 meters long Vox Apolonia was moored along the Wilhelminakade in Rotterdam, according to a statement by Van Oord issued on Tuesday.
Van Oord took delivery of this LNG-powered dredger with a hopper capacity of 10,500 cbm from Singapore’s Keppel Offshore & Marine in December last year.
The vessel is identical to the first dredger, Vox Ariane, delivered by Keppel O&M in April 2022 and christened in Rotterdam in June the same year.
According to Van Oord, the third sister vessel, Vox Alexia, is in the “final stages” of construction in Singapore.
The newbuilds have one suction pipe with submerged e-driven dredge pump, two shore discharge dredge pumps, and five bottom doors.
In addition, the dredgers have a total installed power of 14,500 kW and can accommodate 22 persons.
These three LNG hoppers will replace existing vessels and fit in with Van Oord’s aim of making the firm’s fleet more energy efficient and reduce emissions.