Jan De Nul: First No Limit Crewtender

September 26, 2013

This month Jan de Nul Dredging has put into service a third No Limit vessel. The DN97 is the first No Limit 1640 Pro Crewtender having seats for 13 passengers.

In the past No Limit Ships Shipyards built two type 1640 survey vessels for Jan de Nul. The vessel, now put into service, will be used in the first few years as a crewtender and is built in such a way that after having made the necessary adjustments it can be used at a later stage as a survey vessel.

‘When you receive a second order from the same client, you can assume that you have done a very thorough job’, says managing director Albert Keizer. ‘The order for a third vessel of the same type proves once more that the customer is not only very satisfied with the performance of the vessels, but also with the organization behind it. That means a lot because worldwide Jan de Nul is one of the largest and most important companies in the dredging and maritime industry. Therefore we are very proud that this organization has entrusted us with the building of a part of their fleet.’

Sturdy, strong, stable and seaworthy

Each and every No Limit vessel will be adapted to its future use. ‘This vessel will be used as a crewtender and will therefore interface many times with other vessels and for instance offshore platforms. For that reason the tube is filled with foam and additionally reinforced in such a way that it has an elasticity of 250 percent. A boarding system has been fitted to the bow and two extra boarding systems have been mounted at the portside and the starboard side at the top of the wheelhouse. This enables passengers to board at a higher level than usual.’

Just like the other No Limit vessels the DN97 is equipped with the characteristic tube. ‘Thanks to this tube this vessel is extremely stable’, says Keizer. ‘The tube reduces the roll movement, which greatly improves the comfort and the safety of the passengers and the crew. It further increases the seaworthiness and daily use shows that waves up to 4 meters height pose no problem. The DN97 can sail safely with wind force 9 or 10.’

Jan De Nul chooses Caterpillar

At the request of Jan de Nul Dredging the DN97 has been equipped with two Caterpillar C18 500kW engines. ‘The customer has good experiences with these engines and is very satisfied with Caterpillar’s worldwide service network’, says Keizer. ‘It is also important that these engines have a so-called continuous duty rating. They have been designed to be used continuously at full power.’

Orders and good prospects

‘Our current order book is well filled’, states Keizer. ‘We are working on the construction of a specially adapted No Limit 1640 Pro survey vessel for the German Wasser- und Schiffahrtsambt. In addition we will supply, in cooperation with Barkmeijer Shipyards, three 22-meter tenders for the Dutch pilot services. These tenders are part of an order for five units.’

There is a lot of interest for the No Limit Pro series. These vessels are available in three different lengths: 16.40, 19.40 and 24.40 meters. The vessels, if and so required by the customer, can be supplied as a survey vessel, a crewtender or a combination of those two. The largest vessel, with a length of 24.40 meters, can accommodate eight crewmembers and is specially developed to stay at sea for a longer period of time. ‘We have received enquiries from companies in the Netherlands and abroad and at this moment we are negotiating with various parties in among others the Middle East and Russia.’

Healthy grow

No Limit Ships B.V. was founded in 1996. The organization has 20 employees on the payroll. Thanks to a close cooperation with a number of subcontractors additional manpower can be deployed, if required, to increase the production capacity. Turnover has more than doubled in the last five years and also this year will show a growth compared to last year’s turnover.

Specifications No Limit 1640 crewtender