Damen announced that the Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) 650, ordered by Gippsland Ports of Victoria, Australia, in December 2015, has recently been launched at Damen Yichang Shipyard in China.
The new dredger will be used to maintain entry to the port of Lakes Entrance and the Gippsland Lakes system, which is used by recreational, fishing and supply vessels.
The TSHD 650 has been modified to increase the installed propulsion power, allowing her to manage the strong currents encountered in the harbour’s entrance. An anti-turbidity valve has been fitted on the overflow to reduce air bubbles and visible plumage in the water, in order to minimize the ecosystem’s disturbance. An indication package to measure soil density allows the suction pipe to be angled precisely for accurate operations. The dredging process will be also enhanced by the installation of the navigational dredging aid, NavGuard, indicating the area and quantity of substrate dredged.
Capable of dredging to depths of 15 metres, the dredger has been built with self-emptying capabilities with bottom doors for dumping and the choice of either a bow connection or rainbow expulsion for beach reclamation work. Damen has also reduced the freeboard of the vessel and applied a dredge mark, in order to increase the vessel’s payload capacity when dredging sand with a high specific density.
The vessel, named Tommy Norton, is now alongside the yard’s new quay undergoing final commissioning, after which she will sail for Shanghai to undertake sea trials. Once those are completed she will sail for Australia on her own keel for dredging trials and delivery. The official handover will take place in August.
Gippsland Ports Board Chairman, Mr Geoff Hocking, commented: “We are very confident that Tommy Norton will serve us well for many years to come. Particularly as the vessel has been configured and equipped with contemporary systems to meet the quite specific operational needs of our intended application.”
