PHOTO OF THE DAY: Jan De Nul’s TSHD Leiv Eiriksson in the Maldives

The trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) Leiv Eiriksson, owned by Jan De Nul, is currently very busy working in Ha. Dhidhoo, the Maldives. With a hopper volume of 46,000m³, it is one of the largest dredgers in the world.

The Dhidhoo land reclamation contract was awarded to Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) on April 19, 2024, for MVR 257.21 million ($16.6 million). According to MACL, the project will add 110 hectares of new land to this area.

The 78,000t deadweight vessel has an overall length of 213m and breadth of 41m. Length between perpendiculars is 196m, loaded draught is 15.15m and depth is 20m.

With a diameter of 1,300mm, the two suction pipes fitted with electrically driven underwater dredge pumps allow the vessel to dredge sand and rocks to a maximum depth of 142m. Dredged material is discharged by two electrically driven shore discharging dredge pumps.

The total trailing pump power is 13,000kW (2 x 6,500kW), while the total discharging pump power is 16,000kW (2 x 8,000kW).