World's First Dual-Fuel Dredger Ordered

A new generation dredger Scheldt River will be the first ever dredger to operate on engines capable of using either LNG or conventional marine fuels. 

The 104 meter (340 feet) long vessel is being built by Royal IHC in the Netherlands on behalf of the Belgium based DEME Group. It will have a hopper volume capacity of approximately 8,000 cubic meters and is to be powered by Wärtsilä dual-fuel (DF) engines. 

The contract with Wärtsilä was signed in July, and the scope of supply includes one 12-cylinder and one 9-cylinder Wärtsilä 34DF engine, two Wärtsilä controllable pitch propellers and two transverse thrusters as well as the company's patented LNGPac gas supply and storage system.

"Environmental considerations are extremely important for every new vessel built today,” says Jan Gabriël, Head of New Building and Conversion Department at DEME. “Operating on LNG allows DEME to set new standards in minimizing harmful emissions. Scheldt River will easily comply with all local and international environmental regulations. Wärtsilä's dual-fuel know-how and in particular the 34DF engine series made our concept feasible.”

This is the second notable order received by Wärtsilä in recent weeks for dredger related propulsion solutions. In June, the company was contracted to supply a comprehensive integrated solutions package for one of the world's largest and most advanced self-propelled cutter dredgers currently under construction in China.