LNG-powered dredger joins DEME’s fleet

LNG-fueled trailing suction hopper dredger Bonny River has joined the fleet of Belgian dredging specialist DEME.

DEME said on Monday that Bonny River joined the company’s fleet and was being mobilized in Flushing, The Netherlands, for its first assignments.

The vessel with a 15,000-cbm capacity is capable of dredging hard soil and can work in water depths up to 100 meters, DEME said in a brief statement through its social media channels.

Bonny River, with dual-fuel engines using diesel and LNG as fuel, will carry a ‘Green Passport’ and ‘Green Design’ classification.

The order for the Bonny River has been placed at Royal IHC, and the ship has been built by Cosco at its shipyard in Guangdong, China.

DEME added that it also had three other dredging vessels under construction, including another LNG-powered vessel Spartacus – the most powerful cutter suction dredger in the world – and trailing suction hopper dredgers Meuse River and River Thames.

It is worth reminding that the Bonny River was launched at COSCO’s Guangdong Heavy Industry shipyard in China in April 2018. The vessel started sea trials in the South China Sea in late February 2019.