Industry, Logistics & Shipping

Boskalis, Royal IHC in deal to build 31,000 cu m TSHD

Boskalis, a leading global services provider operating in dredging, maritime infrastructure and maritime services sectors, has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with leading Dutch shipbuilding company Royal IHC for the construction of trailing suction hopper dredgers (TSHD) with a 31,000 cu m capacity.
 
This comes following the unique collaboration between Boskalis and Royal IHC in the design and engineering phase of two state-of-the-art TSHD.
 
The key facility will be built at the Royal IHC yard in Krimpen a/d IJssel in The Netherlands and is expected to be delivered to Boskalis in mid-2026.
 
The design and engineering of the new TSHD has been achieved in full co-creation. Royal IHC has
been working on the design together with a team from Boskalis. 
 
Jan-Pieter Klaver, the CEO of Royal IHC, said: "Working together has given us a unique opportunity to achieve an optimal design for this customised trailing suction hopper dredger. The modern design is characterised by the 31,000 cu m hopper volume, two trailing suction pipes, a large shore pump capacity and diesel-electric propulsion."
 
"The vessel will also be prepared for the use of methanol as a fuel to ensure a future-proof design," he stated.
 
Shortly before Royal IHC's delivery of the cutter suction dredger Krios to Boskalis in 2020, both
parties agreed on the design and engineering of the TSHD. 
 
Theo Baartmans, Member of the Executive Board of Boskalis, said: "Now that we have this LOI, we are looking forward to this new phase. With the 31,000 cu m TSHD we are taking an important step to make our dredging fleet fit for the future."
 
Royal IHC and Boskalis have an extensive history of collaboration. The most recently delivered vessels were the mega CSDs Krios (2020) and Helios (2017). Previously, Royal IHC has also delivered TSHDs such as Gateway, Crestway, Willem Van Oranje and Prins Der Nederlanden.
 
"This is also an important step for Royal IHC," stated Jan-Pieter Klaver. 
 
"For some time now, we have seen an increasing demand in the dredging market. However, we have noticed this particularly in the flow business, which consists of orders for smaller working vessels and equipment," he stated. 
 
"With the order for this large custom-built vessel, we are continuing to build a healthy future for Royal IHC. he fact that Boskalis has awarded us this project reinforces our confidence in Royal IHC’s added value for our customers, as well as the market potential of our vessels, equipment and services," he added.-TradeArabia News Service