Many countries have their own regulations for outfitting vessels and Brazil is no exception. The CSD350 is the first stationary dredger Damen has delivered to Brazil and so  the standard suction dredger from stock was adapted accordingly. The customer, Construtora Vale Verde, ordered a number of additional options including a non-return valve in the discharge pipe line, a wedge piece for shallow water dredging, Damen remote monitoring system as well as a navigation package for maximising safety on the job.

Designed to dredge inland waters at a dredging depth between -1 m and -9 m water depth, the CSD350 has been fitted with a 55 kW cutter head for breaking up compacted soils, and the in-board dredge pump is powered by a 447 kW diesel engine. For transport purposes, the dredger can be fully dismounted – a very practical consideration as its first dredge job is located some 500 km from its port of arrival, Vitoria.

The dredger left Damen Dredging Equipment in Nijkerk, the Netherlands on five trucks – one for the main pontoon, one for both side pontoons and spuds together, one for the suction ladder and one for the separate container shipping, the operating cabin and various smaller items such as the navigation mast.

The dredger arrived in Brazil at the end of October, to be swiftly assembled by Damen, Vale Verde and local agent Endratech engineers. Damen states that with products being built in series – often for stock – the company is able to guarantee the fastest possible delivery times for proven solutions; a clear demonstration of the benefits of Damen’s philosophy of standardisation.