The Egyptian Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has signed a contract with Royal IHC for the design and construction of two custom-built 29,190 kW heavy-duty rock cutter suction dredgers (CSDs).
The vessels will have an overall length of 147.4 metres and provide a maximum dredging depth of 35 metres. In addition, they will offer accommodation facilities for 73 people. Equipped with one submerged and two inboard dredge pumps, the installed cutter power will be 4800 kW. The CSDs are to be built in the Netherlands and expected to be delivered in 2020.
IHC Beaver 45 Built in Egypt
A standardised IHC Beaver 45 CSD will also be built by IHC at SCA’s shipyard in Egypt, with the aim of improving the local manufacturing capacity for this type of dredging equipment. Alongside the delivery of the three CSDs to SCA, Royal IHC will provide an extensive training programme, as well as a CSD simulator and a large package of spare parts.
SCA
SCA issues and enforces the rules of navigation in the Suez Canal, as well as overseeing other regulations that contribute to an effective and orderly waterway. The CSDs have been specifically designed in close cooperation with SCA, and will be used to maintain and improve the artificial sea-level area that connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas.
