On Friday, 3 October, Royal IHC launched the 31,000-m3 trailing suction hopper dredger Seaway, which is being built for Boskalis. The launch took place at the Royal IHC yard in Krimpen aan den IJssel, the Netherlands.
Prior to the launch, the Seaway was christened by Mrs. Ande Berdowski, spouse of the chairman of Boskalis’ supervisory board. About 2000 Boskalis employees and hundreds of Royal IHC staff attended the event.
Also read: Boskalis and IHC ink deal for 31,000 m3 dredger
Green methanol
Designed for the future, the state-of-the-art dredger with a hopper capacity of 31,000 m3 is prepared to run on (green) methanol as an alternative fuel. The methanol plant and storage tanks on board make this switch possible. Furthermore, the dual fuel main engines are equipped with two-stage turbos and can be powered by both conventional fuels and more sustainable alternatives such as biodiesel and methanol.
With a full diesel-electric installation, Azipods propulsion, an optimised hull design and advanced automation, the Seaway is expected to set new standards in efficiency and sustainability. With a double suction pipe equipped with underwater pumps and two discharge pumps with a combined discharge capacity of 15,000 kW, the new trailing suction hopper dredger is well suited to dredging material and discharge this over long distances to a reclamation site.
The ship is scheduled to enter service in mid-2026. The new vessel will be one of the largest trailing suction hopper dredgers in the Boskalis fleet.
Also read: Boskalis expands fleet with construction support vessel
Long line of Boskalis dredgers
The cooperation between Boskalis and IHC for the construction of the Seaway already took concrete form in 2020, when an agreement was reached for the design and engineering of the TSHD. The contract for building the vessel was eventually signed in October 2023.
The collaboration between Royal IHC and Boskalis goes back a long way before that. The most recently delivered vessels are the megacutters Krios (2020) and the Helios (2017). Previously, Royal IHC delivered trailing suction hopper dredgers such as the Gateway, Crestway, Willem van Oranje and Prins der Nederlanden.
Picture (top): Launch and christening of Boskalis’ trailing suction hopper dredger Seaway at Royal IHC (photo by Boskalis).
