Royal IHC Partners with Nam Trieu for Hopper Dredge Build

Dutch shipbuilder Royal IHC announced it has signed an agreement with the Vietnamese shipyard Nam Trieu for the construction of a 2,300 m³ trailing suction hopper dredger.

This project, commissioned by De Boer - Dutch Dredging, marks the beginning of what is expected to be a long term collaboration in Asia, according to Royal IHC.

"The collaboration with Nam Trieu is the concretization of our two-pillar strategy," says CEO Derk te Bokkel. "We build both in the Netherlands and in the Far East. In Vietnam we can build to the same quality level with lower labor and energy costs. And our yards in Krimpen and Kinderdijk allow us to build much more quickly. When we have discussions with large customers about projects, they should have a choice."

"Nam Trieu will basically be our overseas yard," continues Te Bokkel. "In the past, Royal IHC has also built ships at foreign shipyards, but each time it was at a different shipyard. Many times this has worked well, but this was not always the case. We want an experienced shipyard that knows exactly how we work and think".

"My experience is that a combination of a foreign construction site in a low-cost country with a technically qualified Dutch organization at the base can work very well. This strengthens the Dutch organization,'' Derk te Bokkel said.

Nam Trieu employs 700 to 800 local workers. Royal IHC will supply materials and equipment from the Netherlands. A compact project team from the Netherlands will supervise the construction on site.