Making dredging more sustainable

Damen said that its ECSD 650 provides a significant reduction in noise, adding an extra tier of sustainability and ensuring the dredger’s suitability for projects in densely populated and environmentally sensitive areas.

“The ECSD is just one example of the products and services that Damen is pioneering as we fix our focus on our goal: To be the most sustainable shipbuilder,” said Damen sales manager, Sjoerd de Bruin.

“Our role in this is not just to build electric vessels. As integrator we provide the connection, linking and aligning stakeholders from industry and academia. In this way we build a knowledge network that encourages the wider development of sustainable solutions and ensures the long-term viability of the maritime industry.”

Sustainable shipbuilding

The new ECSD is based on a well proven modular design by Damen with the diesel motors just switched for electric ones. This means there is no need for re-engineering. Standardisation further ensures the easy adaption of the ECSD to suit local power supplies.

On the conventional CSD 650, the rear side pontoons serve only to provide buoyancy; in the ECSD the starboard side pontoon becomes an electrical nerve centre.

The dredger’s low voltage system equals easy maintenance with no requirement for special crew training. Meanwhile, the associated reduction in vibrations during dredging ensure a comfortable experience for those on board.

Electric focus

The shipyards group is currently working on a number of electrical vessels.

This includes seven fully-electric Damen Ferries 2306 E3 for the city of Copenhagen in Denmark which will reduce the total emission of public transport in the city by 2.5% for CO2, 10% for NOx and 66% for particulate matter.

Damen is also building two Road Ferries, 6819 E3 and 9819 E3, to operate in Ontario, Canada. These will be the first fully electric ferries to operate in North America and will reduce CO2 emissions by as much as seven million kg per year.

Meanwhile, an order from the Port of Auckland, New Zealand, sees Damen constructing the world’s first fully-electric ship-handling tug with 70 tonnes bollard pull, the RSD Tug 2513.