CEMEX UK commission state-of-the-art dredger
Damen Shipyards Group to build first Marine Aggregate Dredger (MAD) 3500 for CEMEX UK Marine
CEMEX UK Marine have signed a £30 million contract with Damen Shipyards Group for the delivery of their first new dredging vessel in 20 years – and the first Damen Marine Aggregate Dredger (MAD) 3500 in company’s fleet.
Designed to extract sand and gravel from depths of up to 55m, including in the challenging conditions experienced in the North Sea, the new vessel will be built at Damen Shipyards Galati, in Romania.
According to Laurence Dagley, director of CEMEX UK Marine, the company had a clear set of requirements for the new dredger: ‘We wanted a cutting-edge design, something for the 21st century with all the safety, efficiency, environmental and on-board comfort credentials this implies,’ he explained.
‘Achieving a maximum uptime within what can be a challenging working environment is also important to us. Damen accepted the challenges that we gave them, delivering a robust, yet innovative design that demonstrates the combined experience and ingenuity of our respective teams.
‘Proudly wearing CEMEX colours, this new ship represents the start of our ambition to modernize our fleet over the coming years, to serve the increasing need for marine-dredged aggregates in the UK.’
With an overall length of 103.5m, a deadweight of just under 7,000 tonnes and a maximum loaded speed of approximately 12 knots, the MAD 3500 dredger will replace CEMEX’s Sand Heron and will have the ability to deliver 20% more load per trip.
The MAD 3500 will also have exceptional sea-keeping behaviour, offering crew comfort in rough seas and the capability to work in heavy weather conditions.
Commenting on the order, Damen’s regional sales director, Frank de Lange, said: ‘We are honoured to work with CEMEX UK on this innovative project.
‘At Damen we are always happy to embrace a challenge and this vessel, which includes a number of never-before-seen features, is a good example of that.
‘We feel confident that the MAD has all the attributes required to bring the aggregate dredging fleet up to date and into the future. We’re looking forward to seeing the first MAD in action at the end of 2019.’
