Cemex UK Marine Limited has signed a contract with the Damen Shipyards Group for the delivery of the first Damen Marine Aggregate Dredger (MAD) 3500.
The vessel, which will be built at Damen Shipyards Galati, Romania, is designed to extract sand and gravel from the sea bed up to depths of 55 m, including in the challenging conditions experienced in the North Sea.
MAD 3500 Design
The MAD was designed for the aggregate industry, which is faced with an aging fleet of vessels and an increased focus on marine activity.
The MAD 3500 design has the optimal balance between payload and efficiency within limited dimensions. With a specific lock passage limiting the vessel’s overall length to 103.5 m, a deadweight of just under 7000 tonnes and a speed at loaded draught of approximately 12 knots are still achieved. In comparison to Cemex’s current vessel, the Sand Heron, which the new ship will replace, this translates into an additional 20% of aggregates that can be delivered per trip.
The vessel will receive Lloyd’s Register’s ECO-notation, due to its green credentials as well as a CAC-3 notation offering a high standard of crew comfort.
Optimal Uptime
Optimal uptime is achieved through a number of features:
- Good seakeeping behaviour offers crew comfort in rough seas and the capability to work in heavy weather conditions.
- The bow is enclosed, protecting deck equipment and reducing green water ingress into the cargo hold.
- A user-friendly approach to maintenance.
- All dredge pipes are situated above main deck level for safety, as well as easy inspection and crane reach.
- A modular construction of the Damen designed and built dredge systems makes for the easy replacement of wear parts on the piping and screening installation.
The vessel is to be delivered at the end of 2019.
Cemex UK is a leader in the building materials industry with over 3000 employees, supplying aggregates, cement, concrete and other building solutions.
