Belgium’s Brabo christens new harbour cleaning boats

Belgian company the Brabo Group recently held a naming ceremony for two new harbour cleaning vessels built by the Damen Shipyards Group.

The 15-metre and 19-metre newbuilds will be operated by Brabo subsidiary Brabo Cleaning Company under a contract for the maintenance of pollution-free waters in the Port of Antwerp.

The customisation of the vessels was carried out by Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld, supported by Brabo Cleaning Company’s supplier, Van de Velden Pipe Inspections and Solutions. This included outfitting the vessels with a vacuum installation, oil booms, high pressure units in the pump room, hot water units, a discharge pump, and a grabber in the vessels’ crane to collect larger elements.

In the case of the 15-metre boat, the wheelhouse was raised in order to create space for the pump room. All of the cleaning equipment is installed modularly and can, therefore, be easily adjusted or removed in the future should the vessels take on different functions.

The vessels have also been outfitted with SCR technology and a particulate filter to comply with EU Stage V regulations for vessels operating in inland and coastal waters and IMO Tier III emissions requirements for seagoing vessels.