Paraguayan shipowner and operator Girona S.A. – Rio Sur Transporte y Logistica has taken delivery of the Veronica V, designed and built by Dutch inland navigation shipyard Concordia Damen. The CDS 4115 Shallow Draught River Pusher will serve Girona’s customers along the 2695-km Paraguay River.
With river levels dropping for months during the dry season, Concordia Damen’s engineers have meticulously analysed the Paraguay River system to create an efficient pusher vessel for these conditions. Its shallow draught ensures year-round navigation and high cargo efficiency. The 5400-HP river pusher is a further development of the shipyard’s earlier pushers.
The CDS 4115 type measures 41 x 15.5 metres. In a push-barge configuration with twelve barges, the combination will measure 281 x 48 metres, enabling large-scale cargo transport with maximum operational efficiency.
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Suitable for dry season
Rio Sur will primarily deploy the combinations for transporting dry bulk cargo along the Paraguay-Paraná Rivers, where low water levels are a recurring challenge during the dry season. Thanks to the CDS 4115 shallow draught design, they can maintain operations year-round, even when the draught drops to just 6.0 feet (about 1.8 metres) — a significant advantage over many other push boats navigating these waterways.
Bert Duijzer, Technical Manager at Concordia Damen: ‘We are proud that Girona S.A. – Rio Sur Transporte y Logistica Has partnered with us for this project. This delivery demonstrates our ability to provide tailor-made vessels that meet the specific operational challenges of inland waterway transport in South America.’
