Royal IHC wins multiple contracts for Dredgers

In the last two months of 2016, IHC saw a substantial increase in the sale of its vessels, equipment and engineering packages. Almost half of the total order intake over 2016 was secured in this period.

“We see market recovery in the dredging and renewables industry, and are positive that this will continue in 2017,” says IHC CEO Dave Vander Heyde. “We are pleased to note that IHC’s strategy, which focuses on making advanced equipment for various maritime sectors and the rental of equipment, contributes to this result.”

Standardised Easydredge 2700
One of the highlights of the year end includes the sale of a trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) Easydredge 2700 from stock. Supported by the Argentinean bank BICE, the vessel was sold to Dragados Argentinos DASA S.A. (DASA) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. DASA is a new company, established by three leading dredging contractors in the country. The DASA I has a dredging depth of 25m and will be added to the company’s fleet, which mainly consists of cutter suction dredgers. The vessel is currently on its way from the shipyard in Bulgaria to its new home port of Buenos Aires.

“With the delivery of the vessel from stock, we are proud to support DASA with its entry into the hopper dredging market, and to be delivering the first new-built TSHD to Argentina in decades,” says IHC Area Sales Director Hans Hesen. “We have a long-term relationship with each of the three partners and have been delivering multiple standardised IHC Beaver CSDs to them over the past 50 years. We have also assisted them in finding the best finance solution and managed to arrange an ECA (export credit agency) supported loan, which offers favourable terms and conditions, as provided by the Dutch state.”

Engineering package 6,500m3 TSHDs
IHC has also signed a contract with CCCC Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Co. Ltd and CHEC Dredging Co. Ltd – a fully owned subsidiary of CCCC Shanghai Dredging.

The contract includes the delivery of basic engineering and dredging components for two 6,500m3 TSHDs. Basic engineering and the sophisticated dredging automation systems for the vessels will be supplied by IHC in The Netherlands. The highly complex dredging equipment will be a combination of Chinese and Dutch-built parts.

“In line with its strategic focus on internationalisation, IHC has developed this tailor-made solution for the project, in close cooperation with our customer,” says IHC Sales Director China André Vrijsen. “Besides the engineering and key dredge components, we will install the dredging automation on board to ensure a safe and efficient operation. We are proud to again
strengthen our relationship with the CCCC Group.”

Multi-purpose custom-built gravel hopper
IHC is also going to build a multi-purpose 5,450m3 TSHD, to be named DC ORISANT, for a joint venture between Den Herder (Reimerswaal Dredging) and Group de Cloedt. The vessel can perform a wide range of projects due to the integrated design and dredging equipment. The dredge installation has been designed to dredge marine aggregates (sand and gravel) for the construction industry. The DC ORISANT is also extremely suitable for performing regular dredging projects, such as maintenance dredging and beach nourishment.

The DP2 installation enables the vessel to perform support activities for the construction of offshore wind farms. It is the first complete diesel electric aggregate dredger in the market, which enables it to sail at the most economic speed in all circumstances.

“We are proud to build this versatile vessel for a private company,” says IHC Account Director Benelux André Kik. “Its unique arrangement makes it suitable for both the dredging and offshore wind market, and is going to be an important benchmark for the industry.”

Dredge equipment for mining
IHC has also been awarded a contract to build a 3,557kW custom-built stationary CSD and two powerful 1,825kW floating booster stations. The equipment and floating pipelines will be delivered to Arab Potash Company (APC) in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan during 2017. To enable the customer to use the full potential of the equipment, an extensive training programme will be provided by IHC. The equipment will be deployed for the salt ‘mushroom’ project to support the production process of minerals, mainly potash, in the Dead Sea.

“I am delighted to hear that, after an international tender process, APC decided to choose IHC equipment for its high production levels and reliability,” says IHC Area Sales Director Middle East Amin Ezzedine. “The new vessel will empower APC to dredge salt in line with the longterm mining development plans in the Dead Sea. The durability of our equipment is also proven by the 1966 IHC-built CSD Beaver KING HOLLAND XXVI, which is still part of the APC fleet.”

Beaver CSDs for Bangladesh and Malawi
“In addition to the 20 IHC Beavers that were sold in Bangladesh during the last two years, IHC has sold a further six standardised Beaver45 and Beaver50 CSDs in the last two months of 2016”, says Kees Derks, IHC Area Sales Director India and Bangladesh. “To maximise product support for IHC equipment in Bangladesh, we will further expand our service centre in Dhaka, which opened in May 2016.”

In a successful partnership with Johs. Gram-Hanssen (JGH Group) and Aquarius Systems, IHC has been awarded a contract to build two fully electric IHC Beaver50 CSDs and two IHC Delta Multi Craft (DMC) 1240 work boats. The project is managed by JGH Marine, the marine division of the JGH Group. It holds the contract with Millennium Challenge Account Malawi (MCAMalawi), which aims to reduce poverty through local economic growth. The total equipment package, including an Aquarius Systems weed harvesting spread, will be deployed for the Environment and Natural Resource Management (ENRM) Project. This addresses the growing problems of aquatic weed infestation and excessive sedimentation in the Shire River, causing costly disruptions to downstream power plant operations.

“Our fully electric CSDs will enable the customer to remove the excessive sedimentation, improving the availability and reliability of the national power supply,” says IHC Sales Director Africa Rogier Kalis. “An extensive IHC dredge training programme will strengthen the knowledge of the operator Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) and will improve the overall efficiency of the dredgers. We are proud and honoured to contribute to the sustainable growth of Malawi’s economy.”