Van Oord’s two newest identical trailing suction hopper dredgers Vox Ariane and Vox Apolonia, both powered by LNG, started working together to reinforce the protection of the coast of Zeeland, in the Netherlands. The project concerns beach nourishment works along the Dutch coast.
These works are part of the Netherlands’ Coastline Care program of Rijkswaterstaat, the executive agency of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, intended to reinforce the Dutch coast. Van Oord’s scope includes beach- and trench wall replenishment at the Westkapelse Zeedijk, Oostgat and Nieuwvliet-Groede in the province of Zeeland.
During beach replenishment, sand is pumped to the beach by a trailing suction hopper dredger via a pipeline. Applying this replenishment method allows to stabilize the coastline, protecting coastal communities and infrastructure.
What makes this project extra special is that Vox Ariane and Vox Apolonia are running on LNG during the project execution, a more sustainable alternative for Marine Gas Oil (MGO), free of sulfur and particulates. “Switching to this kind of alternative sources of fuel for our fleet will help us to achieve our net-zero emissions targets by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement,” said the company in a statement.
Vox Apolonia and Vox Ariane are part of a series of three brand new trailing suction hopper dredgers that are being added to Van Oord’s fleet. The third sister vessel Vox Alexia will be christened this September.
These vessels will help the company further modernize its fleet, making it more innovative and energy efficient. Their LNG fuel system and energy-efficient design will reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions substantially.
Source: Van Oord
