DEME’s latest newbuild, the trailing suction hopper dredger ‘Minerva’, was officially named in the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, on June 23rd. During the naming ceremony of ‘Minerva’, the company also presented ‘Mellina’, the gravel dredger that will be deployed by subsidiary DEME Building Materials.
The 3,500 m3 trailing suction hopper dredger ‘Minerva’ is the first dredging vessel in the world equipped with dual fuel engines and capable of operating in LNG mode, according to the company’s statement. The vessel has a “Green Passport” and “Clean Design” notation, complying with strict international emission requirements.
The new vessel, built at Royal IHC’s shipyard in the Netherlands, is part of DEME’s multi-year fleet investment programme, focused on further increasing efficiency, both in terms of productivity and environmental performance.
Bart Verboomen, Head of DEME’s Technical Department, stated: “We operate in an industry where our customers invest in a green energy supply and implement measures to limit the impact of their operations on the environment. It is a logical step for DEME to make the transition to cleaner types of fuel, such as LNG to meet customer requirements and to comply with changing legislation and emission reduction targets.”
During the naming ceremony of ‘Minerva’, DEME also presented ‘Mellina’, the gravel dredger that will be deployed by subsidiary DEME Building Materials (DBM). This hopper from the DEME fleet has recently been converted and equipped with a new loading and unloading installation for the sustainable dredging and transportation of marine aggregates. DBM is specialised in the extraction, transport, processing and supply of marine aggregates for the European construction industry.
