Damen Shipyards Group Announces Multi-Cat Modification For Water Injection Dredging
Damen Shipyards Group announced in mid-March that it has recently unveiled a Water Injection Dredger (WID), courtesy of a plug and play system aboard a Damen Multi-Cat. Such capabilities are typically found only on dedicated platforms, but Damen realized that the Multi-Cat’s forward propulsion and maneuverability made it a suitable platform for this type of dredging.
“Damen invented the Multi-Cat as the ideal dredge support vessel—what I like to think of as a floating work bench—for Cutter Suction Dredgers (CSDs). This is a logical step forward for a platform that has dredging in its DNA,” said Damen Product Director Dredging Olivier Marcus.
The Multi-Cat is typically used to assist CSDs on dredging projects, carrying out tasks such as anchor shifting and cutter teeth replacement. Damen realized that, with the addition of dredging components, the Multi-Cat might actually be able to take on the dredging itself.
Multi-Cat Versatility
This is not the first time the Multi-Cat has demonstrated such versatility. In the past, Damen had fitted DOP pumps or a plow on the stern A-frame to carry out sand mining and maintenance dredging activities.
The Multi-Cat WID will take a different approach, the company said. By injecting the silt with high volume but low-pressure water, the accumulated soil will become a density flow and by utilizing the current and/or gradient, the silt will be removed from ports and waterways including rivers and channels, offering a cost-effective, sustainable approach to dredging.
Marcus said: “After foundations are installed, the modular WID system can be attached or removed without drydocking. What’s more, as the system can also be applied to a modular Multi-Cat, the WID can be easily transported anywhere in the world—even to formerly inaccessible or out-of-the-way locations.”
The Multi-Cat WID will be fitted with a wear-resistant Damen Dredge Pump.
“We have previously customized tugs, fitting them with water injection capabilities in order to carry out port maintenance capabilities. This type of dredging represents an effective solution that, for just a small investment, delivers really significant additional benefits to a platform already well-suited to a diverse range of tasks,” Marcus concluded.
