DEME’s multi-year fleet investment programme continues with the arrival of the new generation trailing suction hopper dredger Bonny River. The vessel is currently being mobilised in Flushing, the Netherlands, for its first assignments.
The 15,000-cubic-metre Bonny River marks the introduction of a new generation of trailing suction hopper dredgers. This vessel is able to dredge very hard soils and can work in deep waters of more than 100 metres. The versatile new dredger combines a very long suction pipe and large carrying capacity, with a limited draught. Additionally, the TSHD has a heavy-duty trail pipe with a rock draghead.
Closed Loop Dredging
The Bonny River has a large jet pipe on its suction tube that uses extracted overflow water from the hopper that is pumped back to the seabed and integrated into the dredging process. This enables the vessel to achieve "closed loop dredging" whereby the turbidity generated by the process water is eliminated, which is particularly important in environmentally sensitive areas.
First DP2 Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger
Additionally, the shape of the hull and two-speed propulsion gearbox reduce fuel consumption considerably. The Bonny River is a full DP2 trailing suction hopper dredger – the first of its kind – which allows the vessel to manoeuvre with pinpoint precision. The vessel has a Green Passport and a Clean Design notation.
The dredger was built at Cosco Guangdong Shipyard in China under supervision of Royal IHC.
First projects in the Netherlands and Belgium
Currently, the Bonny River is preparing for its first assignments in Flushing, the Netherlands. The vessel will reclaim approximately 300.000 cubic metres of sand at the New Lock Terneuzen project in the Netherlands. With the reclamation, the first phase of the plateau will be realised from which the new lock will be built. The reclamation will be combined with deepening works in the outer harbour of Terneuzen.
The vessel will also set course to the Belgian North Sea to backfill approximately 45 kilometres of trenches for Belgian transmission system operator Elia’s Modular Offshore grid project, covering and protecting the high voltage export power cables from the Offshore Switch Yard to Zeebrugge.
The official naming ceremony for the Bonny River will take place later this year.
Fleet Investment Programme
DEME continues to invest in its fleet, with vessels featuring innovative technologies and improved operational performance. Three other dredging vessels are under construction, including the Spartacus, the most powerful cutter suction dredger in the world, and trailing suction hopper dredgers Meuse River and River Thames.
