Damen Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam is building an innovative suction dredger for Dutch fishing co-operative YE 118 Noordland.
The Noordland, a 43 m-long dredger, will harvest razor clams from the seabed using a 30 m-long suction pipe. The yard is also fitting the vessel’s generators and propulsion system, as well as all carpentry, electronics, and piping. Delivery is scheduled for mid-October.
“We are very happy to have been given the opportunity to build such a cutting-edge vessel,” said a Damen Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam statement. “The Noordland will be able to harvest razor shells in water up to 20 m deep: something that is made possible by the advanced pumping system.” That pump connects to the suction pipe, which has a 1 m-wide basket positioned over the target area. This minimises environmental damage such as unwanted bycatch or seabed damage.
The dredger will be part of a sustainably managed programme for the Dutch fishing industry that supplies the mainly southern European market with razor shellfish.
This post was sourced from IHS Maritime 360: View the original article here.
