Royal Van der Leun, Royal IHC join forces on new USACE hopper

Royal Van der Leun has entered in a collaboration agreement with Royal IHC to build a diesel-electric hopper dredger for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

Under the contract, Royal Van der Leun will deliver the machinery, nautical systems, switchboards, cabling and complete system integration.

This 320-foot (97.54 meters) vessel, with a hopper capacity of 6,000 cubic yards (4,587 cubic meters), will be built at Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Panama City, Florida.

Also, the dredger will feature a diesel-electric propulsion system that meets the highest environmental and efficiency standards (EPA Tier 4 and IMO Tier 3).

“Equipped with the ECO Package, this innovative dredging vessel can operate up to 15% more efficiently, reducing both fuel consumption and environmental impact. The integration of Plumigator® technology further minimizes air release during dredging, contributing to a lower environmental footprint,” said Royal Van der Leun.

The Sliedrecht based giant added that they will also provide on-site supervision during installation and support the final commissioning.