Van Oord christens new water injection vessels

Van Oord formally named its two newest hybrid water injection vessels in a ceremony in Rotterdam on Wednesday, June 30.

Maas (pictured) and Mersey are both equipped with systems for water injection dredging, mass flowing, and power jetting, in addition to offering increased manoeuvrability and shallow draught.

The vessels will be used primarily for maintenance dredging in shallow harbours and can dredge up to water depths of 24 metres. They are also certified as unrestricted seagoing vessels, making them capable of offshore projects as well.

Each vessel is fitted with a hybrid energy management system with diesel-electric engines and batteries that can store residual heat that is otherwise lost. This energy can subsequently be used for other purposes including propulsion.

Maas and Mersey were built by local shipyard Kooiman Marine Group in compliance to IMO Tier III and EU Stage V emissions standards.