Damen Dredging Equipment Delivers Another Four Cutter Suction Dredgers to Iraq

Damen Dredging Equipment has delivered 4 cutter suction dredgers to the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources. The Ministry, who already had several Damen dredgers in their fleet, will use the dredgers for maintenance dredging on the rivers and throughout the central plains.

The 4 cutter suction dredgers all are Damen standard dredgers, 2 of the CSD450 and 2 of the CSD500 type. All dredgers have been fitted out with various options such as anchor booms, a stern swivel, a jib crane and a non-return valve in the discharge pipe line. Extensive spare parts packages and operator training has also been arranged. Back in 2008 Damen also supplied 4 dredgers of the same types, which now all are operating to the Ministry’s full satisfaction at various locations in Iraq.

The cutter suction dredgers will be used to clean-up and maintain neglected waterways, rivers and lakes. The dredgers can work at a maximum dredging depth of -12m respectively -14m and are able to pump 3.000 m3/h resp 4.000 m3/h of mixture per hour. The dredged silt can be re-used on the fertile plains in central Iraq.

The dredgers of standardised and proven design were built at Damen production facilities in The Netherlands, Poland and Dubai. Due to Damen’s philosophy of series production and delivery from stock, the first dredger left the shipyard for Iraq within weeks after contracting. All dredgers have meanwhile been transported to Iraq by road – each dredger requires 9 trucks for its transport.

This project was executed by Damen in close cooperation with their partners Dutch Union Trading (DUT). DUT has arranged for efficient re-assembly and re-commissioning of the modular dredgers after arrival in Iraq. Further DUT also provides warranty services and technical and operational assistance to the Ministry of Water Resources. This successful cooperation will enable the Euphrates and Tigris rivers and Iraqi lakes to be dredged and maintained more efficiently in the near future.

About Damen Dredging Equipment :

Damen Dredging Equipment is a specialised supplier of dredging equipment and dredging instrumentation & automation. The company, based in Nijkerk, the Netherlands, has over 70 years of experience in the construction of dredging equipment serving the worldwide dredging industry. The dredging tools made are all built to specific customer requirements, making use of a wide range of standard equipment. The company is fully owned by the Damen Shipyards Group. The Iraq project was a joint project by DDE and by the Damen head office. More information can be found on www.damendredging.com as well as www.damen.nl.

About the Ministry of Water Resources:

The Ministry of Water Resources is an autonomous body within the Government of the Republic of Iraq. Their main task is the country’s water management. Water is an essential resource and of vital importance in social and economic activities. As the country has little rainfall, the Ministry manages the distribution of water and the maintenance of the infrastructure. An extensive network of irrigation canals and dams has to be maintained, water wells are drilled and ground water levels are monitored. Furthermore the Ministry promotes the reduction of water consumption by for instance farmers.

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Source: Damen Dredging Equipment, June 20, 2011