Italy: Work Well Underway on Marina Master 8000 Dredger

Work is well underway on the latest in the long line of cutter suction dredgers built in Italy by Italdraghe SpA , this time in collaboration with Goodchild Marine Services of the UK.

This latest dredger to be named ‘Marina Master 8000’ is an innovative design developed from a successful dredger operated for some years by Goodchild Marine in the UK.

This exceptionally versatile and manoeuvrable dredger, built to Italian Naval Registry regulations, is perfect for precision dredging projects in marinas and waterways where disruption needs to be kept to a minimum. No wires are required and the dredger can operate inside marina finger berths so that the fingers do not need to be removed.

The first Marina Master 8000, to be delivered to the UK at the end of this year, is easy to transport by road as it travels as one single, compact, ready-assembled unit on a truck.

In addition, being self-propelled, the Marina Master 8000 can navigate independently on the water between dredging sites.

The Marina Master 8000 has an overall length of 13.70 metres and can dredge down to 8 metres deep.

A key feature of the design of this unique dredger are the two sponsons that are positioned longitudinally for transportation and then hinged outwards to ensure stability during dredging operations. So when being transported by road the width is only 4.1 metres.

The Marina Master 8000 is powered by an Iveco C87 common rail diesel engine with a continuous power rating of 272 hp at 2,000 rpm featuring Tier 3 environmental performance.

The Iveco engine drives a 4-bladed 565 mm rotor diameter Italdraghe PD 180 centrifugal dredging pump capable of pumping up to 100 cubic metres per hour of dredge material.

This extremely hard-wearing pump has suction/delivery diameters of 200 mm with horizontal suction and discharge axes that can handle abrasive solids with a diameter of up to 100 mm and is manufactured from exceptionally abrasion-resistant chromium cast iron.

At the stern of the Marina Master 8000 there is a 100 hp Italdraghe brand hydraulic azimuth propulsion unit with 44° rotation each way, positioned in a recess within the hull for protection. At the bow there are two 35 hp Italdraghe brand hydraulic tunnel bow thrusters.

The hydraulic system is designed so that the thrusters and the stern propulsion unit can work together in order to move the dredger laterally and the spud legs can be raised or lowered at the same time.

The horizontally hinged dredging arm, operated from the control cabin, is manufactured in two sections with a central hydraulic-controlled vertical hinge so that the dredger can work under floating pontoons without their removal.

The 700 mm diameter hydraulic cutter head at the end of the arm has a power of 30 hp and its speed can be regulated from 0 to 34 rpm to cater for many different dredging conditions and materials.

The MarinaMaster 8000 has two working spud legs positioned either side near the stern of the dredger which slide vertically inside sleeves hinged within the hull. The sleeves and the legs are moved hydraulically and are controlled from the cab.

The spud legs can be inclined independently during dredging 15° fore and aft to allow the Marina Master 8000 to move forward or back, to turn, or to ‘walk’ along the dredge area.

During road transportation the spud legs are fully raised and then inclined fully forward to meet road height requirements.

All features of the Marina Master 8000 are designed to be controlled by one crewmember from the sound-proofed, heated, air-conditioned control cabin mounted above the dredge arm.

Considerable thought has been put into the design to make sure that maintenance or replacement of essential systems is simple and quick to carry out, even the pipe-handling hydraulic crane at the stern is carefully sited to allow it to be used to lift the dredge pump and other machinery space components when required.

The Marina Master 8000 is the latest thinking in specialist dredger design.

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Press Release, November 21, 2012