New Cutter Suction Dredger Named in Bulgaria
An official naming ceremony was held in Bulgaria last Thursday for Yantra, a new cutter suction dredger (CSD) built to help maintain Danube water depths. Damen supplied the modular CSD 500 dredger following a European tender.
The naming ceremony was performed by the Dutch ambassador to Bulgaria, Bea ten Tusscher. As Godmother of the dredger she stated that the task to be performed by the dredger – keeping the Bulgarian stretch of the Danube navigable – is an important one. Even more so as the ceremony took place in Ruse, the largest inland port of Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Vice Minister of Transport, Nelly Andreeva, also stressed the importance of river transport for local trade.
The CSD was added to the fleet of the Executive Agency for Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube River (EAEMDR), the agency responsible for maintaining the navigable depth in the Bulgarian stretch of the Danube river. The constant maintenance of the Danube is vital to keep the river navigable even in the dry spells in summer. The locally required depth for the inland transport is -3 meters.
The dredger is given BV classification and works under Bulgarian flag. It is fitted out with anchor booms, a spud carriage system, a deck crane, an accommodation unit and various extras such as a navigation package.
The timely delivery of the dredge includes local assistance by a Damen Field Service Engineer. The reassembly of the dredger was done together with the dredger’s crew. Upon completion, all systems of the dredger have been tested to familiarize the crew with all elements. The Yantra is now ready to start her first dredging job.
