MAN Energy Solutions has just released this very interesting video about the conversion of trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) Samuel de Champlain to dual-fuel operations.
Dragages-Ports EIG, owner of the dredger, decided in 2016 to replace the existing diesel generators of Samuel de Champlain by a dual fuel (diesel and LNG) system, in order to improve the reliability and the environmental performance of the ship.
This conversion was part of a wider European project called “S/F SamueLNG for a Blue Atlantic arch”, implemented by a consortium of 12 members, including the French ports of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire, Le Havre and Rouen, but also the Spanish ports of Vigo and Gijon and their technical partners, and the Central Dredging Association (CEDA).
After a long conversion period, the TSHD sailed from Damen shipyard in Dunkirk on June 14th, to the Loire estuary, where she arrived on Sunday, June 16th, immediately starting dredging operations.