Dutch marine contractor Van Oord said it has christened the first out of three LNG-powered trailing suction hopper dredgers recently delivered by a unit of Singapore’s Keppel Offshore & Marine.
Van Oord held the christening ceremony on Saturday for the 138 meters long Vox Ariane at Koninginnenhoofd Quay in Rotterdam, according to a statement.
The firm presented the new dredger to the public during a three-day event at the same location.
Last month, Van Oord took delivery of its first trailing suction hopper dredger equipped with an LNG fuel system.
Keppel Singmarine is also constructing two more identical dredgers for Van Oord, namely Vox Apolonia and the recently launched Vox Alexia.
The newbuild with a hopper capacity of about 10,500 cubic metres has one suction pipe with submerged e-driven dredge pump, two shore discharge dredge pumps, and five bottom doors.
In addition, the dredger has 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.
According to a statement by Van Oord released on March 25, the firm expects Vox Ariane to become operational in June 2022, followed by Vox Apolonia six months later and the Vox Alexia a further six months later.