Converted to dredge up advantages
Inland barge conversion for Nigeria
NIGERIA: A converted barge was recently delivered to Nigeria to commence work on the Lagos Lagoon after almost two years of building at Concordia Damen.
Three years ago, the Werkendam shipyard came into contact with a Nigerian dredging company via Damen Shipyards Gorinchem. This eventually led to the start of the complex conversion project in December 2021.
Converting an inland shipping barge instead of building a new-build dredger has several advantages, according to the yard. Both because of the fast delivery time and because this method simply saves money at the bottom line, it is a very attractive option for dredging businesses.
On top of that, all the dredging equipment is supplied by Damen Dredging - the same installations that are usually fitted in newbuilds. These include a 500 mm trailing suction pipe, gantries, winches, the dredge pump and valves. The refitted TSHD has a capacity of about 1,400 m3.
To create the necessary space for the dredge pump - with drive and various dredging pipes - Concordia Damen cut the Sayonara in half and extended it with 7.5m and a special pump chamber.
After extensive testing to ensure that the vessel, once in Nigeria, would not experience any teething problems, Jumbo-SAL-Alliance's HLV Fairplayer transported the special TSHD to the customer in Lagos.
The TSHD (Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger) Sayonara is now complete and already working on the Lagos Lagoon.
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