During a festive ceremony, a Damen Shoalbuster 2711 WID (Water Injection Dredging) was christened. The vessel has been delivered by Damen Shipyards to UK Dredging, a subsidiary of Associated British Ports. The ceremony took place in the Roath Basin in Cardiff, Wales, with Mrs Rhian Lewis acting as the godmother and officially naming the vessel UKD Seadragon.
The Shoalbuster 2711 WID was designed specifically for UK Dredging as a multipurpose dredging and support vessel. It will be used for surveys, buoy handling, bed-levelling and Water Injection Dredging. The UKD Seadragon has a diesel-electric propulsion system fed by three independent generators, which enables the vessel to sail on only one engine. This fuel efficiency is one of the many examples of the aim to reduce emissions.
“We are very pleased to add the UKD Seadragon to our fleet”, said Mark Pearson, UKD General Manager. “The UK Seadragon has already completed various Water Injection Dredging trials at different locations such as Cardiff, Swansea and Newport. We have seen impressive dredging performances at low fuel consumption. Moreover, the versatility and the manoeuvrability of this advanced vessel clearly enhance our fleet.”
For the past weeks, the UKD Seadragon has been performing maintenance dredging duties in the various ports and harbours in Wales using its WID equipment. This equipment includes an electrically driven E-DOP450L submersible dredge pump, built onto a skid that is lowered to the sea bed using its dedicated A-frame. The dredging action involves the submerged dredge pump supplying water that is injected into the built-up sediment, which is thus refloated and taken away by the current. The UKD Seadragon has shown excellent results during these first dredging campaigns.
“As shipbuilders, we are honoured to have built the UKD Seadragon,” added Joppe Neijens of Damen Shipyards. “It has been a pleasure to cooperate with UK Dredging and we are very happy with this partnership and, of course, the great performances of the vessel these first few weeks. The UKD Seadragon is currently at work in Swansea, and will continue to service various harbours to verify the WID effectiveness at different locations. This certainly is the new generation of efficient and innovative water injection dredgers.”