Saudi Arabia: IMS 7012 HP Operates 24/7 to Meet Deadline at Intake Lagoon

A major oil company in Saudi Arabia has awarded Murjan Al-Sharq for Marine Services (MSMS)., via open tender process, a contract to dredge a sea water plant. The project required the contractor to remove 86,000m³ (111,800 yds³) of fine sand from the sea water intake lagoon.

The lagoon is a trapezoidal shape with the following dimensions: 200m x 500m x 300m (656’ x 1,640’ x 984’). The project was to start in May 2011 and to be completed in 30 days.

After shopping the market for dredging equipment and meeting with IMS President, Jim Horton, and IMS Global Sales Director, Ryan Horton, at IMS’s factory in New Richmond, WI, USA, MSMS selected the IMS Model 7012 HP Versi-Dredge.

“We would not have been able to secure this contract without the full support of the IMS sales team who bent over backwards to make sure our dredge was on the next available ship to the Middle East,” said Chris Clark, Operations Manager of MSMS.

The sea water intake was constructed in 1978 and the center of the lagoon became silted up with fine sand and mud. The client required the contractor to dredge the lagoon back to its original depth of 6.7m (22′). The 7012 HP has a maximum digging depth of 9.1m (30′) so this was easily accomplished. The dredge pumped the material in two shifts per day to a disposal area 300m (984′) from the lagoon. The contractor required a dredge that was high quality and could run long hours without any major issues.

IMS was able to ship the unit directly from inventory within the same week of receiving the order. IMS provided comprehensive on-site training along with the contract and also sent a specialized Dredging GPS trainer to instruct the operator how to track the project’s progress against the pre-dredging survey. The contractor was able to track and measure where the sand was removed and compare it against the hydrographic surveys provided by the client to maximize efficiency and avoid operational redundancy to keep costs low.

“I can’t say enough about the IMS service technician who spent two weeks training our Saudi Nationals to operate the 7012 HP. We were working in a closed-in intake lagoon in 120 degree heat on a 24 hr. a day basis during a critical plant shutdown for the client. The 7012 HP was the dredge of choice for this job due to its portability, maneuverability and durability,” said Clark.

MSMS completed the project on time and within budget with the 7012 HP and is currently tendering for other projects in the region. The one truck transportability allows them to cost-effectively transport the dredge anywhere in the Middle East for a fraction of what it costs to transport a multi-truck unit of the same discharge size.

“Dredging projects may take months to years to plan and tender, but when they are finally awarded the contractor is required to mobilize quickly and complete the project in the time allocated by their client. IMS is able to produce large runs of standard dredges and add custom features like Dredging GPS right off the shelf. No other manufacturer in the industry can ship a complete 305mm (12”) discharge, self-propelled dredge system with custom features in less than a week,” says Ryan Horton, IMS Global Sales Director.

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Dredging Today Staff, May 3, 2012; Image: imsdredge