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BeaversforIndia TSHDsforSouth-AfricaDredgingforglassIHCOffshoreWindDodo,aninnovativetool

PortsandDredgingispublishedbyIHCMerwedewiththeaimofkeepingthedredgingindustryinformedaboutnewdevelopmentsindredgingtechnology,vesselsandotheritemsofdredgingequipmentdelivered,andtheexperiencesofusersallovertheworld.IHCMerwededevelopsandappliesnewtechniques.Thesearemanifestedinarangeofadvancedproductsandservices:custom-builtandstandardiseddredgers,dredginginstallationsandcomponents,instrumentationandautomation,engineeringandconsultancy,researchanddevelopment,renovation,operatortrainingandafter-salesservice.IHCMerwedeprovidesoptimumsolutionsfortheproblemsfacedbythedredgingandalluvialminingindustries.

IHCMerwedeP.O. Box 2043360 AE Sliedrecht The Netherlands

T +31 184 41 15 55 F +31 184 41 18 84

www.ihcmerwede.com

Spring2010|e174

PortsandDredging

Ports and DredgingCoordination:R.C.M. van Krimpen-Baudesson,corporate communication IHC Merwede

Production:Die Haghe/AM&S, The Hague, The Netherlands

Editorial board: M.O. Boor, A. Kik, L.A. Klootwijk, A. Korevaar, R.C.M. van Krimpen-Baudesson, S.G. Mensonides, H. van Muijen, E. Put

The articles were published with cooperation of:Col. Vinod George (Adani), Mr. Carl Gabriel (TNPA) and Mr. Brian Rodgers (Consol)

cover: IHC Beaver® dredger for the Adani Group

Ports and Dredging is published by IHC Merwede.

The articles appearing in this journal may be reproduced in whole or in part on the condition that the source is quoted.

Editorial and correspondence address:IHC Merwede, P.O. Box 204,3360 AE Sliedrecht, The Netherlands.

Copyright. IHC MerwedeISDN: 0166-5766

For more information about any article please contact IHC Merwede.

Further in this edition 4 News Flash from the group 26 DODO, Dynamic Operation in Dredging & Offshore 32 On order 34 Recently delivered

33° 55’ 25.59” N18° 25’ 24.05” E

Special mining toolCape Town, South Africa

Page16

Editorial Dear reader,This first issue of Ports and Dredging in 2010 contains a broad overview of recent IHC Merwede activities and innovations. The leading article informs about an Indian entrepreneur, who successfully built a large company, active in many fields. This Adani Group among other things deals with port control and maintenance. For this activity they exploit a number of IHC Beaver® dredgers, which places them in a good position for further growth.

South Africa is not only the country that will host the world soccer championship coming June, it is also the country that has a rich dredging and mining history. To pay a tribute to that other South Africa, two articles describe how two large companies utilise IHC Merwede built dredgers to fulfil their very different operational needs. One article deals with trailing suction hopper dredgers in the port maintenance field, one is about a specialised wheel suction dredger, mining silica sand for glass manufacturing.

IHC Merwede recently started an Offshore Wind Centre of Competence, which bundles the experience within more than one business unit. It has already prepared for production a number of promising concepts for the improvement of wind turbine installation at large depths and large distances from shore. Plans from European governments urge to speed up installation, current methods will not suffice in the near future. The IHC Merwede concepts will surely contribute to the maturity of the wind energy sector, making it independent of government support and subsidies. The Dutch FLOW consortium to which IHC Merwede contributes will do research and build experience.

The last comer is named DODO, an acronym for Dynamic Operation for Dredging & Offshore. It is about a versatile design and optimisation tool that promises to generate sure and reliable answers to questions on the dynamic behaviour of vessels in swell: specific vessels that have one or another connection to the seafloor such as nearly all IHC Merwede vessels have. The aim is to help our clients in the Dredging & Offshore market with planning operational windows and, ultimately, to increase the number of workable days of such vessels and the return of investments.

The next issue of Ports and Dredging will appear in September 2010, at the occasion of both the WODCON XIX conference of 8-12 September in Beijing, China and the SMM exhibition of 7-10 September in Hamburg, Germany. In the meantime we suppose you will enjoy reading the current issue.

Kind regards,Renée van Krimpen-Baudesson

Editor

Ports and DredgingContents

29° 51’ 25.21” S31° 01’ 29.26” E

Hopper dredgers for South AfricaDurban, South Africa

Page10

22° 44’ 04.55” N70° 01’ 11.10” E

Cutter dredgers for IndiaMundra Port, India

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56° 12’ 01.01” N0° 53’ 54.77” E

IHC Merwede in offshore wind

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2 IHC Merwede | Ports and Dredging | Spring 2010 3 IHC Merwede | Ports and Dredging | Spring 2010

January 2010

IHC Lagersmit relocates to high-tech production facility After more than 150 years, IHC Lagersmit is leaving behind the shipyard in Kinderdijk. From 25 January 2010 onwards, the company will be serving its clients from a new high-tech production

facility in Alblasserdam. At the yard in Kinderdijk, IHC Lagersmit has been a long-time supplier of seals for rotating shafts. In the past ten years, the company has grown strongly: in sales and market share. “The rapidly changing market requires innovative solutions, short lead and delivery times, and guaranteed quality. So it was decided in 2008 to invest in new premises and a new production method”, explains Willem Steenge, the Managing Director of IHC Lagersmit.

The approach to production will be changing rapically. The new production strategy is based on ‘Lean thinking’ and the machine park has undergone far-reaching automation.

February 2010 IHC Metalix achieves ISO 9001 certification IHC Metalix successfully achieved NEN-EN-ISO 9001:2008 quality certification at the end of last year.

This was formally awarded to the company’s management and the entire ISO-team at their base in Kinderdijk, The Netherlands by Freek Blanke of Det Norske Veritas (DNV) on 9 February 2010.

IHC Piping makes major investment in robot technology IHC Piping has placed a major order for a flange welding system. This is a pioneering robotic

production solution for welding bespoke pipe constructions for the offshore, shipbuilding and petrochemical industries. The system has been developed to incorporate four ABB simultaneously operating robots and the latest vision technology to position, tack and weld a wide range of flanges and welding sockets.

“IHC Piping will take delivery of the first robotic flange welding system in the Benelux countries and Germany,” says Paul Dits, Director of IHC Piping. “It will help to improve the weld quality, the flexibility of production, and the cycle and delivery times for the pipe sections. These benefits will be passed on directly to our expanding customer base and provide us with a distinct competitive advantage.”

10 February 2010

Queen names trailing suction hopper dredger WILLEM VAN ORANJE Her Majesty the Queen named and launched the trailing suction hopper dredger WILLEM VAN

ORANJE on 10 February 2010. The ship is being built for Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. at the IHC Merwede shipyard in Kinderdijk, The Netherlands. A characteristic feature of the vessel’s design is the twin hopper concept. This concept makes it

possible to optimise the load of the ship in relation to the draught, particularly in relatively shallow waters. Sustainability is also a major focus of WILLEM VAN ORANJE’s design. The ballast water is cleaned before it is pumped overboard. In anticipation of increasingly stringent environmental standards, space has also been left in the funnel to install equipment for the additional cleaning of exhaust fumes.

News Flash from the Group


The Adani GroupIn 1988, Gautam S. Adani from the Indian province of Gujarat, a man with only five rupees to invest, but with a great entrepreneurial vision, lofty ambitions and an iron will to work hard, founded Adani Exports Ltd. The company traded in goods and soon established a solid reputation. Gautam Adani soon succeeded in his ambitions: business flourished thanks to lucky diversification and prudent investment. In only twenty years, it has become the Adani Group, a large conglomerate active in edible oil, logistics, power generation, coal, oil and gas exploration, gas distribution, real estate, ports, special economic zones and IT-enabled services. And of course, the group remains one of India’s largest trading houses.

Even though the company has grown so fast, the management of the Adani Group also wants that growth to be organic. They believe this will lead to synergy between its business units, making them more productive and competitive together. The company is ambitious, it has a strong vision, efficiency and professionalism are keywords, and continuity is safeguarded with proper education and training for the workforce. World-class quality standards and a customer-centred approach explain how the group constantly delivers good returns to its stakeholders and converts partnerships into winning combinations. Revenue over 2008 is reported to be INR 262 billion, approximately € 3.97 billion. And the firm is ready to spread its wings ...

Mundra Special Economic ZoneIn recent years, after preparations starting in 1998, the Government of India and the State Government of Gujarat granted the Adani Group a mandate to develop, operate and maintain a large multi-product Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Mundra in Gujarat: the Mundra SEZ. It will provide comprehensive integrated infrastructure for business, living, learning and recreational facilities so that the zone will be self-sufficient. Mundra SEZ will develop world-class industries, businesses, and social infrastructure in industrial plots, commercial and residential buildings, schools, colleges, hospitals, entertainment, sports and recreational facilities. The SEZ will have all essential utilities such as power generation, transmission and distribution networks, water desalination plants and supply networks, sewage, water recycling plants, telecom networks and multi-modal connectivity by road, airport, seaport and rail. The total area of the SEZ will be approximately 13,000 hectares upon completion.

Mundra PortMundra Port (figure 2) is an integral part of the Mundra SEZ. The SEZ status generates significant benefits for the developers and business partners of the port, providing cost-efficient solutions for end customers. Mundra is India’s largest privately developed port, with state of the art technology and an excellent infrastructure. The port has a natural depth of 17 metres and it is capable of berthing Capesize vessels up to 150,000DWT. It is close to the northern and western hinterland, the area which generates over 42% of India’s total international trade. There is a dedicated infrastructure for a range of cargos such as grain, liquid and coal. Mundra Port has a mechanised bulk handling system, open and closed storage spaces for dry cargo and a large

Cutter dredgers for IndiaIHC Merwede contributes to development in India

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1 The Adani Group is spreading its wings with the help of IHC Beaver® dredgers

2 The Adani Group and Mundra Port


tank farm. The harbour is connected to the NH-8 national highway and the national railway grid. With a total quay length of 1,470m for multi-purpose cargo, 1,263m for dedicated container cargo and 1 single point mooring (SPM) facility, the port will handle about 40 million tonnes of cargo this year without difficulty.

IHC Beavers® for the Adani GroupAs the main participant, developer and operator in India’s largest private port, the Adani Group faced a specific challenge: dredging (figure 1). After surveying the market, they opted for IHC Merwede because of its quality, efficiency and tight delivery schedules. It is known that the IHC Beaver® dredgers are well developed, generating high production rates and benefits at the lowest energy consumption levels and the lowest cost per cubic metre of sand reclaimed. In addition, they are highly standardised and can be produced quickly. Sometimes, they can even be supplied from stock. So IHC Beaver® dredgers outperform comparable products from any other dredger builder.

The Adani Group did have some specific requirements for the dredgers. It wanted them to be suitable for different dredging depths and to cope with densely compacted sand and high abrasiveness associated with the presence of silex and very hard soil spots. They also had to be able to manage different discharge distances. The answer was the delivery of no fewer than eight IHC Beaver® 65-types,

one IHC Beaver® 7525 and four IHC Beaver® 1,600kW booster stations within only four years.

Except for one unit, the dredgers in question are IHC Beaver® 65-type dredgers (meaning they have a discharge pipeline diameter of 65cm) in the basic version. They are equipped with IHC Merwede cutter heads as the cutting tool and most of them have a dismountable spud carrier. Some have a built-in spud carrier. There are versions with Caterpillar engines and versions with Cummins engines. All of them were built around the successful design with a submerged dredge pump on the ladder, directly driven by the diesel engine via IHC Merwede’s famous patented pivoting gearbox. This construction provides high mechanical and fuel efficiency, with the

additional benefit that the dredging depth has no effect on the discharge distance. The IHC Beaver® design also allows for the installation of variable ladder lengths without changing any of the vessel’s parameters, except for the spud pole length and buoyancy, i.e. pontoon length. So the supplied dredgers have design dredging depths of 20, 22 and 25 metres, allowing the Adani Group to deploy them on various dredging jobs. Of course, these dredgers were all designed using the proven, easily transportable concept of interconnected single pontoons assembled in a catamaran construction.

The IHC Beaver® 7525, with its mono pontoon construction, is the exception. In addition to the submerged pump on the ladder, she has also a direct-driven

identical dredge pump on deck. Her more powerful cutter head and double pump capacity means she can be used on heavier jobs. The vessel can dredge at depths of up to 25 metres and she also has anchor booms (figure 3).

All the dredgers carry the IHC Beaver Instrumentation System (IBIS) with a production display that is clear for the operator: a digital version of the good old cross needle production indicator. The system also informs the operator about the position of the dredger and the cutting tool in relation to the swing angle, spud carrier position, ladder trunnion depth and tidal information (figure 4). The booster stations and the dredgers are linked by dual radio telemetry units. So any booster station – if it is connected to the specific dredger – can be controlled remotely by the dredge master.

The Adani Group is pleased with the performance of the dredgers. Millions of cubic metres of soil have been reclaimed since 2005. Figure 5 show that the operations involve a challenge of a special kind. The abrasiveness of the material and its other properties meant that Adani had to cope with extraordinary wear of the cutter teeth. The same applied to the cutter head. The illustrations demonstrate the ability of Adani’s crews to find solutions. In January 2010, the IHC Merwede area manager, together with the projects and product development manager of IHC Beaver Dredgers and IHC Merwede’s representative in India, went to New Delhi to meet Adani representatives, to conduct intensive

discussions about how to provide long-term support with the vessels and to celebrate the successful teamwork (figure 6). On that occasion, a detailed scale model of one of the vessels – which have all been named SHANTI SAGAR (followed by a number) – was handed over to the owners.

Principal characteristics IHC Beaver® 65-type for Adani Group

Built 2005-2009

Length over all approx. 50m depending on working depth

Length of hull approx. 35m depending on working depth

Beam 12.44m

Average draught 2.05m

Dredging depth 18m – 22m – 25m

Suction tube & discharge pipe diameter 650mm

Dredge pump power 1,571kW

Power on cutter shaft at 30rpm 585kW

Total installed power approx. 2,700kW

Principal characteristics IHC Beaver® 7525 for Adani Group

Built 2009

Length mono pontoon over all approx. 71.50m

Length of hull 53.90m

Beam 14.00m

Average draught approx. 2.0m

Dredging depth 25m

Suction tube & discharge pipe diameter 750mm

Dredge pump power 2x1,640kW

Power on cutter shaft at 30rpm 750kW

Total installed power approx. 4,958kW

3 IHC Beaver® 7525

4 IBIS, IHC Beaver Instrumentation System

5 Adani people found inventive solutions for the reduction of wear. Note the sharp-edged teeth.

6 Celebration of succesful teamwork in the historic residence of the Dutch ambassador

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5 6


Transnet National Ports Authorities (TNPA)Transnet Ltd. is the largest state-owned enterprise active in the logistics chain in South Africa. Every day, the company delivers thousands of tons of goods in and around the country. It administers and maintains railways, trains, logistic centres, fuel and gas pipelines, pump stations and cargo terminals in seaports. So it plays a crucial role in the economic growth of South Africa and the improvement of the quality of life throughout the country.The National Ports Authority of South Africa in Johannesburg is a division of Transnet Ltd, with a mandate to control and manage eight commercial ports located on the 2,954 kilometres of the country’s coastline: Richards Bay, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Nqqura, Mossel Bay, Cape Town and Saldanha. The markets in the hinterlands of these seaports largely determine the nature and types of cargo handled at each of them. The company is a firm believer in core values such as open and honest communication, service excellence, human dignity and cultural diversity, employee participation and empowerment, integrity in business conduct and the well-being of communities in which they operate.

TNPA Dredging ServicesFor the successful fulfilment of its mandate to provide a world-class port system, TNPA also performs the dredging work through its business unit Dredging Services. The products and services of the highly specialised team of 160 people comprise dredging and hydrographics, survey planning, management and execution. These works require trail dredging, grab dredging, bed levelling and beach nourishment. Only large capital dredging jobs are left to third parties.

Dredging Services operates with two 2,830m3 TSHDs, one built in Germany (1977) and one at IHC Dredgers, Kinderdijk (1981). Both can dredge at depths of 30 metres with a trailing pipe and at 26 metres with a stationary bow pipe. There is also a 400m3 grab crane hopper dredger with a dredging depth capacity of 14 metres for dredging in limited areas. A plough bed leveller vessel keeps waterways level, and a fleet of four modern high-speed survey vessels allow hydrographers to produce bathymetric maps with accuracies of 10cm. The entire TNPA fleet has been equipped with hydrographic dredging processing and presentation systems.

Retrofit of TSHD INGWENYAThe name Ingwenya means Crocodile in isiZulu. Old hats at the IHC Dredgers shipyard will vividly remember the building of the INGWENYA (then H.R. Moffatt) in 1981. Not only because of her nearly perpendicular bow (figure 1), which recalls famous ocean steamers and battleships, but in particular because of her stationary bow pipe and its housing. The INGWENYA and her sister-ship PIPER are perhaps the only two TSHDs in the world with this feature. The INGWENYA has a centre well in the fore ship that houses the bow pipe and its special lifting system comprising three hydraulic cylinders and multiple sheave blocks (figure 2). A wire that is led over 1

Hopper dredgers for South Africa1 The INGWENYA in NPA’s dry dock at Durban. Note the nearly perpendicular, rounded bow.

2 The bow pipe’s centre well, its lifting cylinders and separate control room. The common trailing pipe can be seen at portside.

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these sheaves multiplies the stroke of the cylinders, creating enough lifting capacity to allow stationary dredging at a maximum depth of 26 metres. The bow pipe is operated from a separate control cabin in the fore ship, another special characteristic. The specific circumstances in South African ports, TNPA’s desire to be self-sufficient, and the nature of the resulting operations make this bow pipe a useful addition to the normal fittings on hopper dredgers.

In 2008, TNPA Dredging Services started on the implementation of an Asset Replacement Strategy for its floating assets. The plans matured in close consultations between TNPA and IHC Merwede’s Renovation Department. They focused on improvements to the dredging process and dredging performance and so it was decided to concentrate on four main issues:• Overhaul of the hydraulic installation.• Replacement of the overflow flaps to

port and starboard with a central conical overflow duct.

• A modern, computer-controlled, integrated control system to replace the old dredge process control and its discrete components.

• Replacement of the two density measurement units with one IHC

integrated density/velocity transmitter in the common discharge line.

IHC Renovation Sales Engineer Henk Scholten conducted the inspection of the ship. IHC Renovation Project Manager Ron Verschoor coordinated the retrofit and powered up three other IHC Merwede Business units: IHC Hytop for the refurbishment of the hydraulic installation, IHC Parts & Services for the production and installation of the new overflow duct, and IHC Systems for the modernisation of the instrumentation and control system. The first stage of the project included the production of all the equipment involved, and preparations on board.

The hydraulic system is essential for a dredger to perform well. It is the system that powers linear and rotating movements requiring large forces: the sluice valves, swell compensators and many others. TSHDs are crammed full of systems like this. At the training centres of European dredging contractors, operating hydraulic systems is almost the first step in training for would-be dredging operators. Without a knowledge of hydraulics, nobody can operate a dredger. Inspections showed

that a large part of INGWENYA’s hydraulic system needed maintenance to remain in operation, and that some other parts had be replaced in their entirety. IHC Hytop took on the job and overhauled the system. This led to a happy blend of old and new components (figure 3). The fit-to-purpose solution generated major benefits for all parties, saving money, avoiding assembly difficulties and cutting down on delivery time, safeguarding the quality of the installation and extending its lifetime.

Compared with the older side-mounted overflow flaps, the central conical overflow duct from IHC Parts & Services reduces eroding surface overflow streams and drains off the overflow water under the ship. The result is a smaller plume than with the traditional flaps. This is important in today’s dredging, where environmental considerations require reductions in turbidity. Another benefit is the continuously controllable range of this duct, which is considerably larger than that of the old flaps: it can vary from 40-100% of the hopper volume. If correctly operated, this feature allows dredging in shallower locations and helps to reduce losses.During the development stage of the

project, TNPA representatives, who are used to controlling dredgers with discrete components and to presentation with individual instruments, were informed about IHC Systems’ modern integrated control systems as used on modern hopper dredgers. They were impressed by how these systems present the dredging process clearly in the light of the prevailing operational method, and decided the INGWENYA had to benefit from this development. So IHC Systems produced the necessary PLC cabinets and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems, including dedicated keyboards and colour touch screen video units. PLCs do the signal processing; the SCADA system functions as the Human Machine Interface, providing presentation pages and processing operator commands. Communications between PLCs and PCs are easily established. The advantage of an integrated system of this kind is that input and output signals can be connected to any part of the system anywhere. The system takes them wherever they are needed, be it as discrete signals or as internal values for processing. Only one cable is required between locations on the ship, or two where redundancy is required. Process

data, which did not used to be available to subsystems, can now be applied to interactions between systems. This alone enhances performance. Last but not least, presenting entire processes in a single page (figure 4) dedicated to the current operational stage gives operators a better view of the process itself than ever before, making their job more enjoyable and enhancing confidence. Integrated PLC/SCADA systems are thoroughly tested using IHC Systems’ simulators (see previous issues of Ports and Dredging) as routine. This testing approach prevents hundreds of mishaps on board the vessel during the commissioning stage and speeds up the commissioning process.

After the equipment was shipped to Durban, the second stage began in February 2009: INGWENYA was taken to TNPA’s own dry dock in Durban. As the dredger was being prepared for the modification, new components could be easily installed (figure 5) and commissioned under the supervision of IHC Merwede personnel. In the course of the work, a lot of maintenance proved necessary on the dredging instrumentation, which generates essential input for the SCADA system. The systems installed included brand

new stand-alone STPM and DLM systems for the monitoring of the suction tubes and the loading/unloading process. Once everything had been cleared, and once the systems had been commissioned, the INGWENYA completed successful sea trials in July 2009. At the time of going to press, she is actively dredging again, this time to modern standards: efficiently and to the full satisfaction of TNPA.

This fit-to-purpose modernisation demonstrates how IHC Merwede’s Life Cycle Support strategy helps our clients to maintain peak performance, even with vessels that are nearly thirty years old. But that is not the end of the story...

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3 Brotherly cooperation of old and new hydraulic system components

4 Modern art of presentation and control of the dredging process by touch screen, while similarly extending the life time of the existing installation

5 The new telescopic overflow in INGWENYA’s hopper

Principal characteristics INGWENYA

Built 1981 by IHC Dredgers, Kinderdijk

Type TSHD with additional bow suction pipe

Length overall (hull) 111.20m

Length between perpendiculars 107.20m

Beam moulded 18m

Draught (min-max) 3-6m

Hopper capacity 2,830m3

Deadweight all told 8,763 tonnes

Dredging depth with trail pipe at Portside 30m

Dredging depth with stationary bow pipe 26m

Suction pipe diameter 1,000mm

Total installed power 5,160kW

Speed, loaded 8.5 knots


Construction of TSHD ISANDLWANAAs the upgrade of the INGWENYA was under way, TNPA was engaged in a tender procedure for a third, modern trailing suction hopper dredger. The tender was won by IHC Merwede, and the ship is under construction at IHC Merwede’s VSH slipway in Heusden under yard number CO 1256 (figure 6). After launching, she will be completed at IHC Dredgers in Kinderdijk for delivery at the end of 2010. A full description of the vessel will appear in a future issue of Ports and Dredging. For the meantime, a short preview: The CO 1256 is a twin-screw trailing suction hopper dredger with controllable pitch propellers in fixed nozzles. The vessel is nearly 85 metres long. An additional, electrically driven, bow thruster will ensure good manoeuvrability. The bridge and the accommodation are concentrated in the forecastle; the pump room and the engine room have been located in the aft ship, with the hopper and the suction inlet in between. The automated engine room is suitable for unattended operation. Two main diesel engines, a dredge pump diesel engine and two generator diesels supply energy. Two

3x400VAC main electric systems, one 230VAC 50 Hz system for lighting and civil use and two 24VDC systems supply the electric consumers. Of course, the ship will have modern navigation equipment, an appropriate HVAC system and general service equipment (figure 7).

The dredging installation comprises one trailing suction pipe to starboard, with a jet-water pipeline providing pressurised water to the nozzles in the excavating-type draghead. The suction pipe is operated with remotely operated, hydraulic winches and gantries. During loading, a telescopic overflow duct controls the vessel’s draught. The ship can be unloaded using 10 conical bottom valves, or discharge the load through a bow connection or a rainbow pipe. There is a longitudinal self-emptying system with hydraulically operated suction channel doors for rainbowing and discharging, while breaching of the load is facilitated with a hopper diluting system with nozzles in all hopper sections, that are fed by two jet pumps. The jet pumps are direct driven.

The direct-driven IHC high efficiency

single-walled dredge pump with its four-bladed impeller is driven via a twin input/single output two-speed reduction gearbox. During trail dredging, the dredge pump diesel engine powers the pump. The starboard main diesel engine provides additional power for shore discharging or rainbowing. A degassing system protects pump and pipelines.

The dredging process is remotely controlled with the proven Dredging Control System (DCS) of IHC Systems. This semi-integrated system, which is based on PLC signal processing and PC/SCADA, makes it possible to control the entire system with keyboards and display units. Pre-programmed process pages, service pages and diagnostic pages on colour video display screens generate rapid overviews of the whole process that are linked to the current operating mode. Keyboards feature the intuitive control of individual and combined functions. The DCS communicates with a host of instrumentation, including the familiar DTPS, STPM and DLM monitoring systems, as well as hopper volume and dry solid mass measurements, ALMO,

automatic draghead depth control and, of course, the basics such as mixture pressure, density and velocity measurements. A similar system controls the machinery installation. These systems and the communications between them make for easy interaction between the dredging process, the machinery, and the hydraulics and electrical installations.

The new vessel will be known as the ISANDLWANA, a Zulu word meaning “like a home”, which is what she will be for her crew. The name is also a reference to an important event in South African history. On 22 January 1879, a Zulu army equipped with iron spears and cow-hide shields defeated a British army equipped with modern repeat rifles and artillery at Isandlwana, a location some 200 kilometres to the northwest of Durban. However, the lost battle led to an intensification of the British strategy and, ultimately, the Zulus’ technological disadvantage meant they were subjected to British imperial rule after all. The INGWENYA and ISANDLWANA break with that pattern: these IHC Merwede vessels will provide TNPA with state-of-the art

dredging technology, allowing the company to operate at the cutting edge of South African dredging.

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Principal characteristics ISANDLWANA

Built 2009-2010 by IHC Dredgers/VSH

Class notation 100A1 hopper dredger LMC UMS

Length overall (hull) 91.00m

Length between perpendiculars 84.95m

Beam 20.75m

Draught, moulded 7.00m

Draught SLW International Freeboard approx. 6.00m

Hopper capacity 4,200m3

Deadweight all told at dredging mark 6,155 tonnes

Dredging depth 30m

Suction pipe diameter 900mm

Total installed power 4,800kW

Speed, loaded 11.9 knots

Complement 24 persons

6 The CO 1256 under construction at the VSH slipway in a wonderful Dutch snowy setting

7 Artist’s impression of the ISANDLWANA


IHC Beavers® are well known for their flexibility in several areas. First, their modular construction means that they can be delivered fast, that they are easy to transport and that they can be commissioned quickly at dredging sites. Secondly, although they are highly standardised, IHC Beavers® can be adapted easily to customers’ requirements, resulting in fit-to-purpose dredgers with minimal delivery times and costs. So several equipment profiles are possible, while maintaining an extraordinarily beneficial ratio between installed power and production levels. Thirdly, these dredgers are highly flexible in use.

This article looks at a special IHC Beaver® dredger working on a job that is totally different from traditional dredging. It is a wheel suction dredger (WSD) produced for South Africa’s largest glass packaging manufacturer. Consol Glass (Proprietary) Limited delivers world-class glass packaging solutions to a broad range of both local and international blue-chip customers in the beverage, food (figure 2), pharmaceutical, cosmetics and tableware categories. With a proud heritage going back more than 65 years, the company has a powerful position in the packaging industry and is well respected for its unrelenting approach to service, excellence, quality and product pioneering.

Consol’s capacity expansion investments over the last three years have increased its output by more than 35 percent. Together with the Consol Bellville upgrade (increasing capacity by 20,000 tons per annum) early in 2009 and the Greenfield expansion (providing additional capacity of 220,000 tons per annum) during the F11 financial year, this will take Consol’s total glass capacity to more than one million tons per annum (over four billion glass containers).

As glass becomes increasingly popular in the packaging market and demand for glass – a 100 percent recyclable and natural packaging solution – continues to grow, Consol is continuing to invest heavily in capacity through the development of larger infrastructure and more sophisticated technology. A case in point was their requirement that technology should support the Consol Industrial Minerals business. Consol Industrial Minerals (CIM) has been in operation for over 40 years, mining silica sand for both the Consol Glass manufacturing plant in Bellville (Cape Town) and the outside market. CIM mines a 32-hectare piece of land in the heart of Phillippi (Cape Town), which contains a natural silica deposit. This mineral mining site produces an estimated 200,000 tons of specialised sands annually.

Why does Consol Industrial Minerals need an IHC Beaver® dredger? The Consol Industrial Minerals operation had to dredge vertically to a depth of just over 20m. The challenge was that, at depth, the dry mining pit changes into a pond and so dry excavation methods had to be abandoned. The case for a hydraulic dredger became clear.

IHC Beaver Dredgers had a product on offer that met the requirements of the Consol Industrial Mineral business. Apart from its other assets, the dredger on offer was tremendously versatile. As well as being a proven industrial design, it also had to be easily adaptable to Consol’s complex situation and requirements. Due to the pond’s dimensions and transporting limitations, the dredger had to be as small as possible, (figure 3) but also had to be designed for a dredging depth of 22 metres, the depth normally thought to be appropriate for medium-sized CSDs. In addition, the sand in the area is

1 The INDLOVU in her element

Special mining toolIHC Beaver® dredger serves glass manufacturer


interrupted by layers containing clay and so an appropriate cutting tool was needed. And as the dredger will be feeding a processing plant, the mixture output had to be quite constant, despite the short discharge distance.

IHC Beaver Dredgers solved the design challenge by integrating a number of pontoons and standardised parts from the smaller IHC Beaver® series in a catamaran arrangement and by developing a unique, long and lightweight ladder carrying most of the machinery. Contrary to normal practice, this ladder is not hinged at the front of the dredger, but near the aft. The down-

cutting dredging wheel keeps mixture yield and cutting forces nearly constant over the whole swing, substantially contributing to the reduction of the ladder strength and mass, and therefore to the reduction of the required buoyancy and dimensions. Spuds for the intended dredging depth would overburden the buoyancy of such a small dredger and so an Xmas tree is used for fixing the aft turning point (figure 4).

As said above, nearly all the machinery is concentrated on the long ladder, including the diesel engine and its engine room. This arrangement allows for direct driving of the submerged

dredge pump, reducing suction losses and raising pumping efficiency. Of course, the diesel engine’s bearings and lubrication have been adapted for running at various non-level angles. It also drives the hydraulic pumps. The hydraulically-driven dredging wheel (figure 5) and swing winches are also located on the ladder. The oil for the few hydraulic consumers on deck – the Xmas-tree winches, the deck crane and the ladder winch – is supplied via hoses to bridge the variable angle of the ladder.

The air-conditioned deckhouse contains the control consoles and the basic

instrumentation required for the relatively simple operations with the dredger. The vessel is known as the INDLOVU, meaning ‘elephant’ in IsiZulu (figure 1). She was commissioned on location in July 2008 and – after some encounters with unexpected cemented soils – successfully meets Consol’s need for high-quality sand.

A passionately South African company, Consol believes in the importance of people, innovation, quality and service, and in building lifetime relationships with customers. These factors remain critical to the success of its business.

2 The everyday glass articles in our homes may be of Consol origin (courtesy Consol website)

3 The dredger had to be small and easily transportable – and it is!

4 Xmas-tree winches arranged on deck

5 For this specific process, the IHC dredge wheel offers a number of benefits

2

3

4

5

Principal characteristics WSD INDLOVU

Built 2008

Type IHC Beaver® 450W

Owner Consol Glass (Pty) Ltd, South Africa

Length overall 39.70m

Length of hull 20.00m

Beam 5.20m

Average draught 0.65m

Maximum dredging depth 22.00m

Suction pipeline diameter 343mm

Discharge pipeline diameter 284mm

Power on dredge wheel shaft at 18rpm 30kW

Total installed power 336kW


IntroductionSustainable energy is an emerging market. Governments are focusing increasingly on renewable energy to reduce CO

2 emissions. For example, the European Union (EU) intends to use renewable sources for 20% of its energy requirements before 2020. In practice, the EU must rely heavily on wind energy to meet this target. Onshore wind energy has natural limits and so there is an increasing tendency to generate wind energy at sea. The key players at present are the countries in the North Sea area (United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands and Belgium). These countries are planning to install between 52 and 88 Gigawatt offshore wind farms by 2020. Depending on the size of wind turbine generators (WTGs), these plans require the installation of up to 17,000 turbines and foundations of various types and sizes. The reliability of the installation of the turbines – in terms of costs, time and risks – is an important factor in the construction of these offshore wind farms.

This is all the more challenging because of the tendency to install turbines in water depths of up to 50 metres and up to 200 kilometres offshore. The consequences for the technology and the logistics are significant. Larger and heavier components must be transported and installed. They may be large monopile foundations, gravity-based foundations, jacket or tripod foundations, floating units, etc. An impression of the dimensions involved: monopiles, for example, can be 5-7 metres in diameter and weigh well over 800 tonnes. The turbines themselves are also expected to develop. The types in use at present are in the 3-5 MW range. In the future, 5-10 MW turbines will be common, weighing over 700 tonnes in the case of 5-MW assembled WTGs, with rotor diameters of about 125-150 metres. In the light of these trends, it is easy to see that seaport capacity and installation capacity for both turbines and foundations will be lacking

in the near future. North Sea ports will become strategically important for the mobilisation of wind energy.

The volumes in this emerging market were relatively small until now. At present, then, existing equipment is mainly used for installation purposes. That means relatively small or medium-sized jack-up barges equipped with cranes. Heavy lift crane vessels are also used to install foundations (figure 2). However, with the enormous numbers of installations of the future in sight, there is already a shortage of vessels and technology that can match the challenges described above. So integrated mobilisation and installation solutions will be absolutely vital. And this is where IHC Merwede comes in .....

IHC Offshore WindIHC Merwede’s vision is that energy, safety, economic stability, stocks of raw materials and logistical possibilities are vital to the global future. They are the backdrop to IHC Merwede operations and justify the company’s existence in the long term. So offshore wind is one of IHC Merwede’s focus areas. The company knows that a number of its business units are already engaged in this market, but only as suppliers of installation equipment, handling systems and consultancy/engineering services. IHC Hydrohammer is a reliable supplier of sophisticated pile-drivers. IHC Handling Systems supplies a wide range of intricate offshore handling equipment. Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam is experienced in the preparation of complicated installations at sea and integrated vessel design. IHC Offshore Systems is a specialist in mechanical solutions for high-force movements and heave compensation. IHC Engineering Business has an extensive track record in offshore handling equipment including the first fully assembled turbine installation system. In addition the company is a leading supplier of subsea trenching machines and integrated pipe and cable

IHC Merwede in offshore wind1 Wind turbine installation vessel design (patent pending)

1


lay systems. IHC Sea Steel is able tosupply equipment for positioning equipment accurately on the sea floor. And ultimately the yards of the Offshore and Marine division, Merwede Shipyard and IHC Krimpen Shipyard, are capable of designing and building specialised and tailored vessels for this market.

Drawing on this vast experience and capacity, and the need of the offshore wind market for a technology innovator, IHC Merwede recently decided to bundle the scattered expertise relating to offshore wind in a specialised Centre of Competence: ‘IHC Offshore Wind’. Jan Kranenburg (figure 3) has been appointed to lead this new adventure. Jan has many years of experience in the offshore market, and has worked for the past ten years on the installation of wind parks. IHC OW will coordinate the specialists and projects in the area and it is in the process of developing a total package of integrated solutions for the market challenges discussed here.

The idea is to establish a position as a dedicated knowledge partner for all parties involved in the total supply chain of wind energy and as a supplier of reliable, efficient and specialised designs, tools and solutions. Ultimately, the aim is

to make installation possible with high uptimes and enhanced operational windows. The supply chain includes wind farm owners and operators, project developers, EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contractors, dredging contractors, vessel operators, turbine manufacturers, component manufacturers, grid integrators, and other stakeholders. Efficient and easy-to-mobilise wind farms depend on teamwork and coordination between these players. None of them can oversee the whole chain on their own and, acting alone, none of them can solve the huge challenge of the mobilisation of 17,000 turbines within ten years. With the experience of IHC Merwede, the Offshore & Marine division could contribute to the design and the delivery of dedicated vessels to generate benefits for the whole chain.

The technical and logistic challenges are big enough! Even putting aside the sheer numbers of new turbines and the time

schedule, the increasing dimensions and masses alone will be a tough nut to crack. A shift is emerging from monopile foundations to jackets, gravity-based foundations, and so on, the aim being to manage increasing water depths and turbine sizes. Increasingly, thinking is turning to the installation of complete turbines in a single operation instead of in parts, and the appropriate vessels and tools need to be designed and built. The result should be the reduction of costs & risks per installed MW, bringing this method of energy generation to maturity, independent of government assistance/subsidies. IHC Merwede, as a supplier of integrated solutions for vessels and/or equipment and/or consultancy, has already developed a number of concepts and is ready to serve this market.

Concepts and solutionsTwo basic ideas shape developments at IHC OW. The first is that integrated solutions should look at both Capex and Opex. The strength of these solutions is

that investments will be earned back quickly by considerable reductions in Opex, generated by the reliability, availability, maintainability, safety (RAMS), efficiency and delivery time of such solutions. The concepts all target these areas, allowing operators to do their job without being bound by current weather and logistical limits. Secondly, the combination of marine, mining, dredging and offshore knowledge and experience available at the company will make possible a strong mix of proven technology (figure 4) with innovations and out-of-the-box solutions for the benefit of wind energy mobilisation.

2

3

4a 4b

2 Current installation is mainly done by traditional equipment

3 Jan Kranenburg is the enthusiastic General Manager of IHC Offshore Wind

4 IHC Merwede proven technology: IHC Hydrohammer S-1200, Egmond aan Zee

Wind Farm Project, The Netherlands (left) and installation of the IHC up-ending tool on a monopile floated to the site using IHC’s new inflatable plugs (right)


Putting to one side other concepts and innovations, we now turn to four examples of solutions that are in the concept stage: one jacket installation vessel, two types of turbine installation vessels and a blade installation system.

The jacket installation vessel (figure 5) provides a stable and efficient means of installing jacket foundations. It is independent of water depth and seabed conditions, so it eliminates the need for time-consuming jacking operations. Jackets can be installed with an onboard gantry crane. In the present configuration, the concept allows for the transportation and installation of four jackets simultaneously. The specific time savings are obtained with rapidly-opening hydraulically operated sea fastenings (figure 6), two mobile lifting gantries and standard skid units. The jackets are lowered to the sea floor, together with the foundation piles. The piles are driven into the bed using a hydraulic hammer and finally connected to the jacket.

If pre-piling is used, a special IHC Sea Steel unit ensures the correct positioning of the piles on the seafloor. This unit can also be operated from a smaller auxiliary vessel, allowing the jacket installation vessel to position another jacket in the meantime. One detail: lifting capacity is expected to be about 1260 tonnes.

The turbine installation jack-up vessel type 1 (figure 7) is a self-propelled jack-up vessel with DP2 capability that can transport and install up to six fully-assembled 6 MW wind turbines on their

offshore foundations. The vessel can also independently load fully assembled, tested and commissioned turbines from a quay. No other support vessels or cranes are needed. The key in this design is a rotating, skidding and tiltable manipulator that applies a radial, hydraulically operated clamping and sea-fastening system.

The floating turbine installation vessel type 2 (figure 9) is a self-propelled offshore installation vessel with DP2 capability that can transport and install up to six fully assembled 5 MW wind turbines on their offshore foundations. Sea fastening and movement control comes from a combination of a sea fastening and ballast tank construction, limiting the loads on the turbine as well as acceleration at the nacelle (figure 9a). Of course, in this design, sea fastening is also of the fast-acting hydraulic type. The main innovation, however, is a highly ingenious, motion-compensated manipulator/handling system (patent pending) (figure 9b).

It provides freedom of movement in all axes, allowing the fully assembled turbine simply to be lowered and shifted on a removable quick-lock system on the foundation. Once the quick-lock system has been closed, the fixing of the turbine can be completed from another vessel while the turbine installation vessel starts on another operation. This vessel (also patent pending) represents a major innovation that promises to cut installation times drastically and reduce Opex.

The blade installation system (figure 8) can be mounted on any suitable vessel. When turbines have been installed without blades, a delicate and unnerving operation follows. The sensitivity of blades to wind forces, their vulnerability and the required aligning accuracy, mean that conducting this operation from a floating ship requires very calm seas. When installing from a jack-up barge, the permissible wind speeds are relatively low. So IHC OW developed a special tool that can be clamped on the turbine’s

tower itself with friction clamps. This improves workability enormously. The climbing platform can carry up to 3 blades. Autonomously, like a caterpillar, it creeps its way upwards and aligns the blades precisely with the turbine shaft in the nacelle. Mounting can then start. This system can also be operated from an auxiliary vessel, allowing the installation vessel to do another job. Not only does it save costly vessel time, it considerably enlarges the time window for operations and prevents damage to the costly and relatively fragile blades.

The proof of the pudding: FLOWSo much for the theory, the concepts and the prospects. Will it work? IHC Merwede will have plenty of opportunities for testing. The company is part of a major pioneering project involving Dutch industry and knowledge institutes. This includes a large-scale innovation programme for the development of offshore wind energy. The Far and Large Offshore Wind program (FLOW) consists

of an ambitious R&D plan, and a demonstration wind farm 75 km off the Dutch coast in water depths of 35 metres. The program is being developed by a consortium consisting of RWE, Eneco, TenneT, Ballast Nedam, Van Oord, IHC Merwede, 2-B Energy, XEMC Darwind, ECN and Delft University of Technology. The aim is to accelerate cost and risk reductions, to integrate R&D in the chain as a whole, to acquire experience with the real thing, and to develop plans and operational methods that will generate considerable reductions in the maintenance costs of wind farms. The FLOW program will allow companies in The Netherlands to maintain their leading position on the international market for offshore wind energy.

8

5

6

5 Jacket installation concept

6 Quickly operated sea fastening

7 Turbine installation jack-up vessel

8 Self-supported blade installation system

9 Floating wind turbine installation concept

9a Integrated ballast tank and seafastening system

9b Manipulator handling system

799a

9b


IntroductionThis article is not about the famed Mauritian bird reported to be extinct at the end of the 17th century, it is

about mathematics and the laws of Sir Isaac Newton [1]. Nor is it about the sailors of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) who sketched the bird in the 16th century, but about modelling the modern dredging and offshore vessels of the 21st century (figure 2).

Wind and swell subject dredging and offshore vessels at sea to dramatic dynamic forces. Cutter ladders, suction tubes (figure 1), spud carriers, lay pipes and risers ‘connect’ the moving vessel to the rigid sea floor. If they are not lowered right to the sea floor, they swing. In many cases, these forces are well in excess of the design forces. Five to seven times the nominal values is no exception. These effects are magnified by the dynamic forces caused by the cutting process and the constantly varying slurries in cutter ladders, suction tubes and risers. Work boats and barges operating nearby also have an impact and they may also cause unsafe situations.

Dredging and offshore operations have always had to cope with these factors, which have a major effect on operations. They are an important determinant of the uptime of equipment in sea conditions, the operational window, the safety and the working conditions for the crew. The latest trends in dredging, deep sea mining, pipe-laying and oil & gas recovery operations are pushing operations to greater depths, further off shore and into more desolate areas. All this means more knowledge is

needed about the dynamic forces exerted on vessels, equipment and components. Until now, there have been no tools for making integral and reliable predictions, but IHC Merwede’s customers are running up against this issue more and more.A reliable understanding of dynamic forces can mean the difference between getting a job or not, between a reasonable return on investment or a loss, and between damage and injuries or safe operations. To provide its clients with the answers to these questions, IHC Merwede started researching vessel dynamics.

The R&D project looks at the dynamics of the ship as a platform subject to wind, current and swell. It also examines the connection to the sea floor or sea-floor equipment and the presence of other ships in the vicinity. This means studying dynamics in the period range of 1-60 seconds. The project has been dubbed “DODO”, an acronym for Dynamic Operation in Dredging & Offshore. Its aim is “the development and verification of a model for the study of the dynamic behaviour of linked vessels and components in swell under the influence of interaction with the ground or sea floor”. In other words, the programme has been designed to find the answers and predictions required in response to the questions described here.

Multiple specialisms and goalsThree scientific disciplines are involved in the reliable prediction of the behaviour of intricate and specialised work vessels in wind and swell: hydromechanics, multi-body dynamics and soil mechanics. All three are mature specialisms in their own right

1 DODO predicts the swing movements of suction tubes in swell condition

2 The legendary bird as seen by IHC Merwede computer wizards

1

DODOA reliable response to the challenges of dynamic behaviour

2


and they are all practised by well-equipped commercial companies and knowledge institutes. In some cases, two of them were combined. At other times, all three were deployed to examine one type of equipment. For example, IHC Merwede ran CUDAS, a full combination of all three disciplines that was limited exclusively to the study of cutter suction dredgers. It was successful in determining the adjustments needed for the flexible spud carrier of a large seagoing cutter suction dredger [2]. Other parties already have combined hydrodynamics and multi-body dynamics. These combinations, however useful they may be in specific circumstances, also demonstrate the restrictions immediately. Originally, the specialised models and commercial software were not made with these combinations in mind, so adaptations are awkward. They cannot establish adequate human machine communication (HMI) and they demand toil and effort, even though they continue to suffer from

inherent limitations. In addition, they cannot be used for the adaption of more types of vessels or equipment: CSD models cannot provide TSHD or excavator modelling. The most important restriction is that any combination of two of the three specialisms leaves out one specific effect that may even have more of an impact than the combination of the two others. So a combination of only two disciplines and model programmes cannot provide full answers to operational dynamic challenges. In turn, this means that operators always have to maintain a larger operational tolerance band than is strictly necessary for the sake of safety and damage prevention, even after such combined studies.

To eliminate these drawbacks and to attain the DODO objectives, it is necessary to combine the three disciplines and to ensure that models and software are fully interchangeable and modular, and HMI-user-friendly.

Of course, IHC Merwede on its own cannot achieve such an ambitious target. See ‘Partnership & Benefits’ below.

In summary, the aim of DODO is to come up with a design, prediction and optimisation tool for use by IHC Merwede and its partners that will allow the reliable, flexible, easy and fast modelling of multiple vessels and equipment coupled to the sea floor, determining their dynamic behaviour in specified and adjustable sea states. ‘Easy and fast’ here means ‘within days’. DODO will pursue several goals:• Improvements to operational

behaviour on the basis of reliable models.

• Solutions to operational and accuracy problems by the reliable prediction of dynamic phenomena.

• Enhancement of the operational window and uptime through dynamics-initiated adaptations to the equipment.

• Development of reliable advice

instruments for crew with respect to operational restraints.

• Environmental improvements through the prevention of damage, spills and losses of slurries and technical liquids.

• Improvements to the design of dredging and offshore vessels, equipment and components for dynamic operation.

• Cost savings and improved return on investment for IHC Merwede’s clients.

• Maintenance of IHC Merwede’s position as a market leader and the technology innovator.

Particular attention is paid to the modelling of the cutting/digging process and the dynamics of the varying content of slurry in risers, suction tubes and the cutter ladder - in fact in any kind of flexible connection. Lagrange multipliers permit the sharp definition of hinges and other joints between bodies, and make the models flexible and user-friendly. An additional

benefit is that they immediately calculate the values for loads in the joints. The hydrodynamic forces on these relatively small bodies are also taken into account.

There are countless applications: IHC Merwede has already conducted some research projects for clients with test versions of DODO for both hopper and cutter dredgers. For example, it may be possible to stabilise a TSHD draghead’s ground speed in heavy swell by manipulating the ship’s winches. The range and capacity of swell and heave compensators can be optimised. Spud carrier designs can be tuned to operational circumstances even better than with CUDAS and so on. To illustrate how flexible DODO is: one of our engineers once decided to go bungee-jumping and he was curious to predict the pattern of the jump. After only half a day’s work, he got DODO to produce a simulation that proved to be valid. And the engineer is still with us. With the same ease, the

tool can be configured for CSDs, TSHDs, crane vessels, pipe-layers, rock placement fall pipes, backhoe excavators, grab cranes and even more vessels. The trick is that, from a physical point of view, stationary vessels and sailing ships, however different in shape, complexity and purpose, and whatever their ‘connection’ to the sea floor, all follow Newton’s laws (figures 3, 4 and 5).

Full-scale tests and validationCalibration and validation are always concerns when working with models and simulations. Hydrodynamic simulations in particular are normally executed in scale models. The results, however good they are, always need correcting for scale factors. The elimination of theoretical fault factors requires large and ingenious theoretical filters. DODO will settle these problems once for all with full-scale calibration and validation, i.e. on real cutter suction dredgers and trailing suction hopper dredgers in real

3, 4 Every vessel at sea is subject to Newton’s law...

3 4


swell and sea state conditions. The plan is to make extensive use of an IHC Beaver® 6518C with a patented flexible spud carrier (figure 6) and one of the TSHDs currently under construction during her sea trials. The idea is to validate a real wave pattern model that can be simulated in detail, and then the theoretical filter for hydrodynamic studies can be scrapped for the first time in history. This model then can be fed back to the current scale model tests, considerably enhancing their predictive value.

The tests with the IHC Beaver® 6518C took place in January 2010 (figure 3). Over ten days, the best designed and largest measurement programme ever was run on Beaver® dredgers, providing a precisely defined set of validation data. A new type of dredge pump expeller was also tested and the prototype of the flexible spud carrier was observed, demonstrating its positive impact on the operational window of the ship. A team of

IHC Merwede specialists and generalists had installed a multitude of force, acceleration and position sensors at critical fixed locations and in wires and cables. As well as determining the GPS position, these sensors generated on-line data about dynamic vessel movements in all planes, wind speed and direction, swell and current.

After static testing at the Dutch Haringvliet waterway the programme was run again in the North Sea, both in free-floating and in spud-fixed situations (figure 7). The dredger was deliberately turned in several directions with respect to the wind and the swell. Several ladder depths were observed and measured and the flexible spud carrier demonstrated its effectiveness. The multi-disciplinary team collected a wealth of data, which will be analysed in the coming period for the successful full-scale validation of DODO. It is confidently expected that the results will prove that the

model is reliable. Tests with other types of vessels will follow.

Partnership & BenefitsDODO is run in a partnership, with IHC Merwede looking at the soil mechanics and multi-body dynamics. The renowned Dutch maritime research institute MARIN deals with the hydrodynamics. A relatively small engineering company, Xi-Advies, which is known for its graphical interfaces, is managing the data exchange between the models and a sophisticated, user-friendly HMI. The programme is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs as part of the maritime innovation programme (MIP) dedicated to making a leap forward in innovation and knowledge management in the Dutch shipbuilding industry. MIP is intended to improve the maritime industry’s position in a global economy that is increasingly feeling the pressure of low-wage countries, protectionism and subsidised industries.Initially, the benefits and spin-off from

DODO will go to the partners in the project, allowing them to make better predictions, designs and equipment. But the other important group to benefit will be the ship owners and dredging & offshore contractors. They can expect larger operational windows, less damage, reduced energy consumption and better conditions for their crews – in short: enhanced return on investment and more sustainable operations. Those contractors’ clients – such as governments and port authorities – can look forward to more reliable work planning and reduced risks. The large group of subcontractors in the Dutch shipbuilding industry will also benefit from better design data for their equipment. This will allow them to make adaptations in the early stages of building a ship, reducing costs of failure and guarantee claims. Finally, the goal is to distribute the knowledge obtained to dedicated knowledge centres and at international congresses and seminars.

ConclusionsWith the development and implementation of DODO as a comprehensive dynamic simulation and design tool for everyday practice, IHC Merwede has again proven its ability as a technology innovator. Its high-quality vessels outstrip many other products and generate the lowest costs of ownership. DODO demonstrates the company’s determination to serve its clients far beyond traditional boundaries.

References

[1] Bill Bryson wonders how it is possible that

mankind, while discovering the mysteries of

nature with Newton, is also capable, within

a few short years, of exterminating a bird

that has survived for three million years

without harming anybody. Cf. Bill Bryson.

A Short History of Nearly Everything.

Black Swan (UK) 2003, 564.

[2] Ports and Dredging 169, IHC Merwede,

Sliedrecht, 2008, 7-13.

5

6 7

5 ... and can be modelled accordingly

6 The patented flexible spud carrier of the IHC Beaver® 6518C

7 The multi-disciplinary team collected a wealth of data


Yard number / Name specifications country

TRAILING SUCTION HOPPER DREDGER CO 1254 WILLEM VAN ORANJE 12,000m3 The Netherlands CO 1255 ARTEVELDE 5,600m3 BelgiumCO 1256 ISANDLWANA 4,200m3 South-Africa CO 1257 VICTOR HORTA 5,000m3 Belgium BN 718 GATEWAY 12,000m3 The Netherlands CO 1259 12,000m3 China CO 1260 12,000m3 China CO 1263 30,000m3 Belgium CUTTER SUCTION DREDGER AND WHEEL DREDGER 02734 Beaver 300 India 02729 Beaver 600 India 02710 Beaver 1200 Nigeria 02490 Beaver 1200 Congo 02720 SHANTI SAGAR-XII Beaver 6522C India 02477 SHANTI SAGAR-XIII Beaver 6522C India 02711 JAMJAM-4 Beaver 1200 Bangladesh 02712 Beaver 1200 Pakistan 02713 Beaver 1200 Bangladesh 02490 Beaver 1200 Congo 09.852 LIANG LONG IHC 7025MP® China 09.853 JIAN LONG IHC 7025MP® China 09.896 ZONG GUO SHUIN DIAN J08 IHC 7025MP® China 09.897 MIN LONG IHC 7025MP® China 09.900 YI LONG IHC 7025MP® China 09.901 FENG LONG IHC 7025MP® wheel China 09.840 GANGHAI JUN 516 IHC 8527MP® China 109.841 GANGHAI JUN 526 IHC 8527MP® China 09.842 GANGHAI JUN 536 IHC 8527MP® China 09.843 GANGHAI JUN 556 IHC 8527MP® China 09.869 IHC 8527MP® China 09.870 IHC 8527MP® China 09.873 HAN LONG IHC 8527MP® China 09.874 XUAN LONG IHC 8527MP® China CSD AND WHEEL DREDGERS - CUSTOM-BUILT 02482 AL SAKAB 16,500kW Saudi Arabia 2 02730 11,787kW Panama 02731 SHANTI-SAGAR-X Beaver 7525 India 02732 ZHONG GUO SHUI DIAN J08 13,000kW China 02733 ZHONG GUO SHUI DIAN J09 13,000kW China CO1261 ATHENA 24,000kW The Netherlands

On order

1

2


BOOSTER STATION 02707 Booster 746kW The Netherlands 02706 Booster 1686kW Germany WORKBOATS 11040 DMC 1000 Congo 11046 DMC 850 Bangladesh11047 DMC 850 Bangladesh

SPLIT HOPPER BARGE 09.891 2,800m3 splithopper barge The Netherlands 09.892 2,800m3 splithopper barge The Netherlands09.893 2,800m3 splithopper barge The Netherlands 09.894 2,800m3 splithopper barge The Netherlands

Recently delivered Yard number / Name specifications country

TRAILING SUCTION HOPPER DREDGER CO 1252 VOX MÁXIMA 31,500m³ The Netherlands 1CO 1258 JUHU BEACH 2,400m³ The Netherlands CUTTER SUCTION DREDGER AND WHEEL DREDGER 02734 Beaver 300 India 02735 Beaver 300 India 02729 Beaver 600 India 02710 OBAMTELE 1 Beaver 1200 Nigeria 02720 SHANTI SAGAR-XII Beaver 6522C India 02477 SHANTI SAGAR-XIII Beaver 6522C India 09.852 LIANG LONG IHC 7025MP® China 09.853 JIAN LONG IHC 7025MP® China 209.897 MIN LONG IHC 7025MP® China CSD AND WHEEL DREDGERS - CUSTOM-BUILT 02731 SHANTI-SAGAR-X Beaver 7525 India

BOOSTER STATION 02707 Booster 746W The Netherlands

WORKBOATS 11040 DMC 1000 Congo

1

2

Courtesy PUMA, Projectorganisatie Uitbreiding Maasvlakte (project organisation for the expansion of the Maasvlakte)


MainContents

BeaversforIndia TSHDsforSouth-AfricaDredgingforglassIHCOffshoreWindDodo,aninnovativetool

PortsandDredgingispublishedbyIHCMerwedewiththeaimofkeepingthedredgingindustryinformedaboutnewdevelopmentsindredgingtechnology,vesselsandotheritemsofdredgingequipmentdelivered,andtheexperiencesofusersallovertheworld.IHCMerwededevelopsandappliesnewtechniques.Thesearemanifestedinarangeofadvancedproductsandservices:custom-builtandstandardiseddredgers,dredginginstallationsandcomponents,instrumentationandautomation,engineeringandconsultancy,researchanddevelopment,renovation,operatortrainingandafter-salesservice.IHCMerwedeprovidesoptimumsolutionsfortheproblemsfacedbythedredgingandalluvialminingindustries.

IHCMerwedeP.O. Box 2043360 AE Sliedrecht The Netherlands

T +31 184 41 15 55 F +31 184 41 18 84

www.ihcmerwede.com

Spring2010|e174

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