On 16 November, a naming ceremony was held at Damen Dredging Equipment in Nijkerk, the Netherlands, for the second of Van Oord’s Cutter Suction Dredgers (CSD) 650, the Mangystau.
Damen received the first order for a CSD650, the Ural River, from Van Oord at the end of 2014.
With delivery scheduled six weeks from ordering, the on-stock availability of the vessel was a critical factor to support Van Oord’s dredging projects in the Caspian Sea. With project time extended, Van Oord required additional equipment to finalize operations.
The two companies worked together to optimize the dredger by introducing additional tank capacity and specific safety and environmental features. As a result, the Mangystau has been given the coastal waters classification.
The vessel will be delivered to the client in the first week of January.