Royal IHC has announced a construction milestone with the keel-laying ceremony for the Vishwa Dhan at its shipyard in Kinderdijk. The vessel, a trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD), is being built for Vishwa Samudra Holdings and represents the official start of the hull's assembly.
The ceremony included a traditional blessing and the placement of the first modular section over a coin to "symbolise good fortune" for the ship and its future crew.
The Vishwa Dhan, which translates to "Vishwa Prosperity," is based on an existing Royal IHC design platform. The vessel will have a hopper capacity of 8,000 cubic metres and an overall length of 106 metres.
Royal IHC said the platform consists of standardised TSHD designs with capacities ranging from 4,000 to 12,000 cubic metres, integrating established hull forms with modern dredging technology.
The Netherlands-based builder plans to launch the vessel in January 2027, with final delivery to the customer scheduled for the summer of the same year.
