Boskalis has had its trailing suction hopper dredger Oranje lengthened from 156 metres to 201 metres at Keppel Shipyard in Singaport. In addition, Praxis Automation was contracted to provide an update of the vessel automation system.
The length extension of the trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) MV Oranje follows the similar extension of Boskalis‘ Prins der Nederlanden, which was conducted in the first half of 2022.
The conversion involved a mid-section restructuring by insertion of a new 45-metre middle section block, resulting in a capacity increase to 21,000 cubic metres for dredging sand storage.
Also read: Boskalis to remove oil from FSO Safer in Yemen
Vessel automation system
Part of the conversion also included a mid-life update of the existing vessel automation system. The existing Praxis Mega-guard Pro-series was replaced by the latest E-series Mega-Guard, offering greater data communication capabilities using a redundant 100 Mbps fast-ethernet backbone. The transition to the E-series resolved the physical range limitations of CAN technology and the modular design of the Mega-guard system provided the flexibility required for system expansion.
