VESSEL REVIEW | Merwestroom – Dutch electric hopper barge suitable for inland waters
Netherlands-based civil construction company Ploegam has placed a new electric hopper barge into service.
Merwestroom was built by local shipyard Groeneveldt Marine Construction. The barge has a length of 60 metres (200 feet), a beam of 9.5 metres (31 feet), and a hopper capacity of approximately 400 cubic metres (14,000 cubic feet).
Navigation is possible even in shallow waters, allowing her to support dredging operations in otherwise inaccessible inland areas.
Reconfigurable layout to better satisfy operational requirements
The hopper will have the option to be covered with steel bulkheads to create a working deck, and the bulkheads themselves will also be able to be used as work pontoons. The beam can meanwhile be extended to either 12.5 metres (41 feet) or 15.5 metres (50.9 feet) for greater stability.
The vessel is equipped with a Ro-Ro facility with 12-metre (39-foot) steel bulkheads at the front and side. This will allow up to 100 tonnes of equipment to be brought on board.
Loading/unloading flexibility coupled with low-noise propulsion
The wheelhouse has been designed to be raised by up to two metres (6.6 feet) to ensure optimal visibility, even with the Fassi F1750 HXP 100-tonne knuckle boom crane fitted on the deck. A truck-mounted crane is also fitted.
The propulsion setup includes two Veth thrusters connected to 360kW permanent magnet motors, which are in turn driven by two 390kWh batteries, thus ensuring operation with only minimal noise and vibration. These and the power management system were installed by Electric Marine Support.
Merwestroom is the second crane-equipped vessel to join the Ploegam fleet after Mermewond.
She is slated to work under contract with Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch waterway resources management board, to implement ecological recovery measures such as channel depth restoration along the Meuse River up until the end of 2027.
