IHC launches largest ever Dutch built dredger
Dutch dredging major Van Oord’ s latest trailing suction hopper dredger, Vox Maxima, was named and launched at the IHC Merwede yard at Kinderdijk in the Netherlands. Her Royal Highness Princess Má xima of the Netherlands officiated during the naming and launching accompanied by dignitaries including Dutch Minister of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, Mr. Camiel Eurlings, the Queen’ s Commissioner for South-Holland, Mr. Jan Franssen, and national and international business relations of IHC Merwede and Van Oord.
With a hopper capacity of 31,000 m³,
Vox Maxima
is the largest dredging vessel ever built in the Netherlands and is also the largest ship built in the country since 1990. Fitting will take place over the coming months and Vox Maxima will go into operation in late 2009.
Van Oord’s total investment programme amounts to approximately €1bn, €840m of which has already been allocated to new equipment projects. The construction of the vessel and an important part of the other investments represent a major boost for the Dutch economy.
Meanwhile, it is full speed ahead for the IHC Merwede Group. IHC Beaver Dredgers has set up a new department to meet the enormous demand for prefabricated materials for the popular demountable cutter suction dredgers. The department is located on Lelystraat in Sliedrecht and it can prefabricate about 400 tons of fitting parts a year.
The prefabricated materials can be broken down into two categories; prefabricated parts for the hull and major structural components, and the prefabricated components for the ship’s fittings. These fitting parts vary widely in terms of sheet thickness, profiles, dimensions and quantities.
The establishment of the prefabrication department allows the company to respond optimally to the strong demand. The flexibility of production is also enhanced because of the opportunity it gives to intervene in the process and set priorities. Ultimately, prefabrication is part of the primary production process.
The new department consists of four people on location and an employee for support at IHC Beaver Dredgers on Molendijk in Sliedrecht. The department uses a combined plasma/autogenous cutting machine that can cut sheets up to 150 mm thick. There is also a profile line and various overhead travelling cranes.
