Keppel O&M hands over fifth TSHD to Jan De Nul

Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M) has announced the successful delivery of another trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) to Jan De Nul Group with a perfect safety record.

The 6000m3 TSHD Ortelius is the fifth dredger that Keppel O&M has delivered to Jan De Nul Group, following the delivery of three 3500m3 TSHDs and one 6000m3 TSHD last year.

All five are Ultra-Low Emission vessels (ULEv) and the world’s first European Union (EU) Stage V dredgers.

“The delivery of a fifth dredger is testament to Keppel O&M’s newbuild capabilities and technological expertise,” Mr Tan Leong Peng, Managing Director (New Builds) of Keppel O&M commented. “Our partnership with Jan De Nul Group has grown from strength to strength, and we are pleased to have delivered all five Ultra-Low Emission dredgers to Jan De Nul Group safely and efficiently, harnessing our holistic construction methodology.”

“Despite the impact of COVID-19, we optimised operations while implementing safe management measures, and diversified our supply chain network, thus enabling us to catch up on work in a safe and efficient manner,” added Mr Peng.

Mr Robby De Backer, Director of Newbuilding Department of Jan De Nul Group, said, “Ortelius, like all our new dredgers, allows dredging at the lowest levels of emissions to date. The Jan De Nul Group and Keppel teams worked closely to overcome the challenges caused by COVID-19 and expedite the delivery of Ortelius. We are proud to partner with industry leader Keppel, who has through their engineering expertise and excellent service, provided assurance in the safe delivery of high-quality vessels.”

The Ortelius is fitted with a two-stage filtering technique for exhaust gases. Built to the requirements of the EU Stage V and International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Tier III regulations, Ortelius is diesel-electric driven and able to dredge to a maximum depth of 35m. It features a shallow draught, is highly manoeuvrable, and is suitable for working in confined areas.