Ports set for cleaner dredging

Dutch dredging company Van Oord has signed a three-year agreement with ABB Turbocharging to provide fleetwide maintenance and optimisation services. The agreement comes as two Van Oord vessels receive the first turbocharger upgrades of their kind in the dredger sector, saving thousands of tonnes in fuel and carbon emissions over the next decade.

“With fleet renewal underway and the IMO 2030 target approaching, we are jointly searching for continuous improvements in sustainability,” said Jorn Bertens, category manager ship management at Van Oord.

Scaling back emissions

The service agreement will help Van Oord minimise lifecycle costs and reduce emissions across its fleet. As well as offering full technical support and access to the latest turbocharger technologies and digital solutions, ABB Turbocharging will provide maintenance planning and budget control based on a ten-year strategic outlook.

Van Oord’s largest trailing suction hopper dredging vessel was the first dredger to receive an upgrade to ABB’s TPL-A turbochargers. A similar upgrade will be performed on a second large dredger.

The TPL turbocharger component upgrade consists of improvements to several key components, including new compressor wheel and diffusor designs, improved turbine and nozzle ring, and optimised low friction bearings. As well as significant fuel savings, the reduction in exhaust gas temperatures also improves reliability, resulting in lower maintenance costs and downtime.