New CSD for Antwerp dredging project

AMORAS stands for Antwerp Mechanical Dewatering, Recycling and Application of Silt and is one of the largest projects of its type in the world. It has been launched by the Port of Antwerp and the Flemish Government in order to guarantee sufficient draught for shipping traffic for the foreseeable future and covers the entire process from dredging to responsible storage of high volumes of contaminated materials.

The process starts with an existing Port of Antwerp dredger depositing silt and sludge in a closed part of the harbour, the underwater depot. From there, Amoris will pump the sediment continuously to a shore based plant where sand is regained from the sludge. The silt is then pumped to settling tanks where it dewaters to decrease volume. Then, two Damen DOP pumps fitted with auger heads pump the material to a plant where the fully dewatered silt is pressed into filter blocks which are stored for future use in infrastructural works.

The plant will be operated by SeReAnt, a joint venture company in which major contractors Dredging International and Jan de Nul have combined the forces of their respective specialised environmental subsidiaries DEME Environmental Contractors and Envisan. SeReAnt will design and build the silt treatment and storage system, followed by the exploitation of the project for the next 15 years

The stationary cutter suction dredger, with a 450 mm discharge pipe diameter, was built in only 14 months and was designed to precisely meet customer specifications. During the design and building process Damen Dredging Equipment and SeReAnt cooperated closely to integrate all requirements. It is fitted with four spuds, of which two are in spud carriages to ensure a continuous and smooth dredging process.

The heavy duty cutter ladder swings by means of hydraulic cylinders instead of the traditional wide wire winches. The entire dredger, including its dredge pumps, is electrically driven, with the required total power on board being 15.75 kV at 1,800 kVA.

The dredge pump capacity for both the cutter action as well as the barge unloader is some 3,000 cu/m//hr. The fully automated dredger features dredge pump capacity control, swing ladder control, and automated coupling to the shore based treatment plant.

Building the dredger to a very compressed schedule was required due to the tight planning of the entire silt processing plant. Damen has succeeded in meeting this planning due to excellent cooperation within the Damen Group. All design, dredging components and coordination work was conducted by Damen Dredging Equipment. The hull was built at the Polish Damen yard in Kozle and completion took place at Damen’s Maaskant Stellendam yard.