Keppel O&M to build suction hopper dredgers for Van Oord

The two dredgers are expected to be completed in Q4 2020 and Q2 2021 respectively.

Keppel Offshore & Marine's (Keppel O&M) subsidiary Keppel Singmarine bagged contracts from Van Oord to build two high-specification Trailing Suction Hopper Dredgers (TSHDs). The company did not disclose financial details.

TSHDs are mainly used for dredging loose and soft soils such as sand, gravel, silt or clay. The dredged material can be deposited on the seabed through bottom doors or discharged through a floating pipeline to shore and used for land reclamation.

The two dredgers are expected to be completed in Q4 2020 and Q2 2021 respectively. As part of the contracts, Van Oord has an option to order a third dredger to be exercised within one year.

When completed, the two TSHDs will each have a hopper capacity of 10,500 cubic meters. "Built to the requirements of classification society, Bureau Veritas, the two dredgers will be equipped with dual-fuel systems capable of running on LNG," Keppel O&M added.

Keppel O&M managing director (gas & specialised vessels) Abu Bakar said, "Keppel is currently constructing five other dredgers, and we are able to build on our experience and capabilities to meet Van Oord's needs. This new order for dredgers of high specifications attests to our strength as a specialised shipbuilder."

Jaap de Jong, staff director, ship management department, Van Oord, noted that the TSHDs will be the first LNG hopper dredgers in their fleet. "We look forward to this partnership with Keppel as we adopt LNG as a marine fuel to reduce our global carbon footprint."

Previously, Keppel O&M's other subsidiary Keppel FELS sold five jackup rigs to Borr Drilling for a total value of around $1b (US$745m). According to an announcement, these are existing jackup rigs which are currently being built by Keppel FELS to the KFELS B class designs.