Van Oord LNG- powered vessels reinforce Dutch coastline
Photo Credit: Van Oord.
Van Oord’s two newest identical trailing suction hopper dredgers (TSHD) Vox Ariane and Vox Apolonia, both powered by liquified natural gas (LNG), worked together on a beach nourishment project at the start of May 2023.
Vox Ariane and Vox Apolonia are part of a series of three brand new TSHDs that are being added to Van Oord’s fleet, with a third vessel, Vox Alexia, to be christened this September. Van Oord’s use of LNG demonstrates a conscious effort to achieve the industry’s net zero emissions target by 2050.
The energy-efficient design of the TSHD is intended to help reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions, contributing to Van Oord’s sustainability goals. A more sustainable fuel option as compared to Marine Gas Oil (MGO), LNG is free of sulphur and particulates and its combustion process produces far less nitrogen dioxide than MGO. They also demonstrate the use of available technologies to minimise climate and environmental impacts, demonstrating the steps that the dredging industry can take to begin the transition to net zero.
Van Oord’s goal of reducing environmental impact aligns with the work carried out on the beach nourishment project — as both prioritise sustainability and environmental protection. The project, which occurred off the coast of Zeeland in the Netherlands, saw Van Oord carry out beach and trench wall replenishment at the Westkapelse Zeedikj, Oostgat and Nieuwvliet-Groede in the province of Zeeland. Approximately, 4 million m3 of sand will be applied.
The Netherlands’ Coastline Care programme of Rijkswaterstaat is part of wider efforts by the Dutch government to preserve its coastlines from erosion and sea level rise. With a third of land in the Netherlands below sea level, the executive agency of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Rijkswaterstaat, is proactively seeking to implement varying environmental protection strategies in an effort to protect impacted regions.
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