The naming and launch ceremony of the 16,500kW stationary cutter suction dredger 'Al Sakab' took place at the IHC Merwede yard in Sliedrecht, The Netherlands, on October 5, 2009.
The ship is being built for HUTA Marine Works, Saudi Arabia.
The ceremony was conducted by Britta and Sylvia Wuebbens, the daughters of Mr M. Wuebbens, Managing Director of HUTA Marine Works.
Due to the Islamic faith of the owners, rose water instead of champagne was used for the naming ceremony. The ship is named after the first horse Prophet Mohammad ever purchased and the name means: "smooth, swift like the flow of running water".
The 'Al Sakab' is a single-pontoon cutter suction dredger with a cutter ladder for a maximum dredging depth of 25 metres. The cutter special dredge pumps installed in the ladder and on board guarantee fast dredging cycles. The rock/soil are discharged to shore through a floating line at the aft of the vessel line or through the barge loading system on the sides of the vessel.
IHC Merwede and HUTA Marine Works signed the contract in early 2007 for the design, construction and delivery of the 'Al Sakab' and the keel of the vessel was laid on December 19, 2008.
The dredger was built to Bureau Veritas classification and will be commissioned and added to the fleet in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, early in 2010.
