Boskalis Orders New Jumbo Cutter from Royal IHC

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. has just announced an order for a new self-propelled cutter that will be built by Dutch contractor Royal IHC.

According to Boskalis, the newbuild will be a sister vessel of the CSD ‘Helios’ which will be taken into service later this year.

The new vessel will have a total installed power of 23,700 kW, pumping capacity of 15,600 kW and a maximum cutter capacity of 7,000 kW.

The new cutters can dredge in extremely hard ground at depths ranging from 6 to 35 meters. The new vessel is expected to be commissioned in the course of 2020.

A cutter suction dredger is a vessel that dredges while being held into place using spuds and anchors. This technique combines powerful cutting with suction dredging. Cutter suction dredgers are mainly used where the underwater surface is hard and compact. The dredged material is sometimes loaded into barges but is generally pumped to land through a pressure pipeline.