Damen hands over Shoalbuster 2711 to UK Dredging

Damen has successfully delivered a new Shoalbuster 2711 WID (Water Injection Dredger) to UK Dredging, a subsidiary of Associated British Ports.

The Shoalbuster 2711 WID was designed specifically for UK Dredging as a multipurpose dredging and support vessel. It will be used for surveys, buoy handling, bed-levelling and Water Injection Dredging.

The UKD Seadragon has a diesel-electric propulsion system fed by three independent generators, which enables the vessel to sail on only one engine. This fuel efficiency is one of the many examples of the aim to reduce emissions.

For the past weeks, the UKD Seadragon has been performing maintenance dredging duties in the various ports and harbors in Wales using its WID equipment.

This equipment includes an electrically driven E-DOP450L submersible dredge pump, built onto a skid that is lowered to the sea bed using its dedicated A-frame.

The dredging action involves the submerged dredge pump supplying water that is injected into the built-up sediment, which is thus refloated and taken away by the current. The UKD Seadragon has shown excellent results during these first dredging campaigns.