2002 Annual Report - SBM Offshore

Dredger/specialised shipbuilding activities
All R&D activities within dredger/specialised shipbuilding
sustain and increase the Group’s technological
leadership, especially in the dredgerbuilding
market. The dredgerbuilding activities require
considerably higher R&D investment levels than
other specialised shipbuilding.
R&D in dredgerbuilding aims at an ever better
understanding of the dredging process itself as well as
product development. All the R&D efforts are focused on
providing our clients with means and equipment to
either become cost leader in their selected markets or to
enable them to carry out their dredging operations
beyond existing limits (e.g. water depth, soil conditions).
The research of the dredging process is carried out at the
IHC Holland research institute MTI Holland. More
fundamental aspects of the dredging process are often
investigated in close cooperation with the only existing
faculty of dredging technology in the world at the Delft
Technical University. The specific product development
activities are carried out within the various business
units. R&D projects are also executed in collaboration
with customers. The feedback of the experiences with the
dredging equipment during the actual dredging process
is an important source for product development.
Training simulator trailing suction hopper dredger.
Hopper loading efficiency
In the field of the dredging process, the extensive
investigations which were carried out with respect to the
loading of hoppers, including tests in practice and on
model scale are worthy of note. These investigations
which were carried out in 2001 in close cooperation with
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one of the big international contractors gave a much
better understanding of the loading process of a hopper,
resulting in recommendations for improving the loading
efficiency. In the meantime these recommendations were
implemented in the design of a hopper dredger which
was delivered last year. MTI Holland has also included
the results of this research in its calculation models
which predict the performance of dredgers under various
possible conditions.
Deepwater dredging
In the field of product development activities, a real
challenge came with the design and construction of the
deepest dredging installation ever. This installation was
ordered late 2001 by the dredging contractor J. de Nul for
its hopper dredger ‘Vasco da Gama’. After lengthening of
this vessel, which will increase its hopper volume to
some 44000m 3 , the deep dredging installation will enable
dredging at a water depth of 155 metres. Various
technical problems required new technology, e.g. in the
field of sealing and pressure compensation of the
submersible pump motors combined with active cooling
of the motors. The knowledge obtained from this is
unique in the world today.
Transport of deepwater dredging installation for the
44000m3 (after lengthening) trailing suction hopper dredger
‘Vasco da Gama’ for J. de Nul.
Other specialised shipbuilding
In the field of specialised ship designs, the Group
participated in a number of joint national and
international research projects, such as the reduction of
the ship’s friction by injecting air bubbles in the
boundary layer, and the application of very high tensile
steel for high speed ferries (fifty knots).