Van Oord Conducts First Emissions Free Dredging

Dutch offshore construction company Van Oord has announced that it has completed the first emissions free dredging. The Christiann P - which is a fully electrified vessel - completed the pilot dredging project at the seaport of Dordrecht. 

Partly funded by the Regio Deal Drechtsteden-Gorinchem, the project involved Van Oord working in collaboration with ZEDHub, Smart Delta Drechtsteden, the Municipality of Dordrecht and the Port of Rotterdam. 

The Christiann P - which is owned by Van Oord subsidiary Paans Van Oord - is used for a variety of tasks in addition to dredging. These include marine engineering work such as the installation of shore protection and revetments. 

In a previous life the Christiann P was conventionally propelled, however prior to the dredging pilot at Dordrecht, the vessel had its engines replaced with electric motors and the crane was replaced by an electric version. 

During the pilot dredging project, the vessel used two DENS Powerhub mobile battery systems of 870 kWh each. The batteries were charged at night at a shore power point. In addition, a Nexus fuel cell and a hydrogen storage container were installed on board, so that the batteries can be charged when shore power is not available. 

Throughout the course of the pilot project research was conducted into how effective and efficient battery-electric dredging is in practice. Numerous measurements were carried out including energy consumption when sailing at different speeds and during light and heavy dredging operations. Research was also conducted into whether the batteries can be charged continuously during work using hydrogen. 

Commenting on the project, the manager of Paans Van Oord, Cor Paans, said: 

“We are extremely proud of our engineering team who prepared and carried out this pilot project. Thanks to their expert preparation, everything worked flawlessly. That was also thanks to close cooperation with the supply companies (DENS, Nexus Energy, and Roger Energy) and the cooperating partners. The Christiann P is a great addition to our Zero Emission fleet and the results of this project will make a significant contribution to achieving Van Oord’s sustainability goals”.

Leen Paans, harbour master at the Municipality of Dordrecht, said: 

“As a government, we have the ambition to reduce CO2 emissions. That is why we have entered into a multi-year contract with Van Oord, a party that shares the same sustainable vision. 

When tendering for such a contract, we always include this sustainable criterion in the award criteria. In this way, we encourage companies to work on this and we act as a launching customer, with which we promote innovation as the first purchaser. As a government, we can make the right assessment in this, without overtaxing the market with unrealistic demands. This pilot in the seaport of Dordrecht gives a realistic picture of what is possible”.

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