N EWS FLASH - Alewijnse

Dredging
Dredging
Electric hopper dredger designed,
produced and commissioned by Alewijnse
A challenging task
Alewijnse has supplied the electrical package together with the electrical propulsion
system and static converter distribution on board a 750 cubic metre hopper dredger,
built at the Damen Shipyards in Galati, Romania. The 59 meter long, 970 gross tonnage
vessel is part of an order for two new hopper dredgers as placed by Damen Shipyards
Gorinchem in 2012.
The team also worked closely with Damen Engineering to devise the customised solution despite
the space limitations. One of the main challenges was to provide a solution for the electro-magnetic
compatibility, which was made difficult by the confined space onboard the vessel, according to Mr. Gigi
Saptelei, Alewijnse’s installing manager for the project.
Finally, the 250kW dredge pump motor, the 116kW jet pump motor and all the hydraulic dredging valves
are controlled and monitored via a distributed dredge master system with programmable logic controllers
for dependable and integrated operation.
“Delivering this modern, efficient electrical solution was a challenging task, but we are proud to have
accomplished it to the agreed specification,” says Mr. Alexandru Munteanu, senior project manager of
this project, who thinks that the new electrical solution has a wide applicability range and will be more
and more demands for it.
The Project Team
The complete electrical package provided by Alewijnse includes all cabling and switchboards, systems
for internal and external lighting, alarms, communications, fire detection, dredging control, plus the
associated automation systems and those for power generation, conversion, storage and distribution
throughout the ships. Alewijnse was also responsible for the engineering, installation and the commissioning
of the electrical package.
The first of the two-vessel order has frequency-driven, water-cooled, electrical propulsion and is equipped
with three 476 kW generators, two 400kW propulsion motors, plus dredge and jet pumps with electrical
drives, all of this working on 690V, 60Hz. As onboard systems require power at 50Hz, additional technology
has been factored in to account, by means of two 200 kW static converters from 690V/60Hz to
400V/50Hz. A team of 10 engineers worked on the project in cooperation with various Alewijnse departments,
who succeeded in combining high-tech equipment from world-renowned names in the marine
industry.
The vessel, Meotida, is already operational along the sea of Azov in the Ukraine.
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