Water injection dredger UKD Seadragon arrives in Cardiff

The water injection dredger (WID) UKD Seadragon arrived into her new home in Cardiff yesterday.

“This advanced vessel will allow us to offer our clients a new and complementary dredging service, enhancing the comprehensive solutions we provide to the market,” said Mark Pearson, General Manager UK Dredging.

“Its state-of-the-art diesel-electric propulsion and power management system optimize engine efficiency, significantly reducing emissions. This innovation marks an important step forward in supporting ABP’s journey toward achieving net-zero emissions.”

UKD Seadragon will become part of UKD’s existing fleet, which includes three trailing suction hopper dredgers, one grab hopper dredger, and two multipurpose workboats, helping UK Dredging fulfil its mission of delivering high quality maintenance dredging for ports across the UK.

Unlike conventional submersible jets, the new WID is equipped with a next-generation, fully electric Damen E-DOP450 dredge pump.

For this project, Damen has also tailored the standard Shoalbuster 2711 design to optimize the vessel’s hull for its specialized role.