Krupp Fordertechnik/HDW Nobiskrug Consortium Delivers Hopper Suction Dredger M/S Seekies

The consortium HDW Nobiskrug and Krupp Fordertechnik delivered the l,800-cu.-m. hopper suction dredger M/S Seekies to the part owners M.S. "Seekies", Rostock, at Lubeck. The dredger was built to the rules and under the supervision of the Germanic Lloyd for class +100 A5 KG gravel hopper dredger +MC AUT at the HDW Nobiskrug yard GmbH at Rendsburg, and fitted out by Krupp Fordertechnik GmbH at Lubeck.

M/S Seekies is intended to extract raw gravel from the Baltic, but also to ensure coastal protection by reclamation work. Another of her tasks will be to dredge out ports and waterways. The dredger will be run by SKM Seekies Mecklenburg GmbH at Rostock.

Features ofthe newbuilding are her economy and great adaptability to varying loading and unloading conditions. A side suction pipe designed for 66- and/or 98-foot (20 and/or 30 m) dredging depth will serve for loading the hopper. It is equipped with a pressure-water activated trailing suction head and an underwater dredge pump which ensure high mixture densities when discharging. The dredge pump is driven by the main diesel engine over a so-called electrical shaft.

When using the automatic unloading system, the load is fluidized, i.e. drawn off by the dredge pump, transported to the screening towers, drained in the screening towers, and conveyed to shore on a slewable belt conveyor. As an alternative, the fluidized load can be drawn off by the dredge pump and pumped to wet disposal sites on shore through pipelines. Sand and silt are either dumped or treated in the same way as gravel, i.e. sucked off and pumped through either a floating or a shore pipeline. These unloading facilities allow M/S Seekies to call at the most varying ports and sites.

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