The identical boosters have been designed and built by Damen Dredging Equipment (DDE) and delivered to Johann Bunte Bauunternehmung GmbH & Co. KG Both boosters will start on their first project in Niedersachsen, Germany in August.

A containerised unit houses the Damen dredge pump, which is driven by a 1,095 kW Siemens electro motor, through a gear box. The frequency drive and switch board are located separately from the pump. The booster stations receive their power via a local 690 V AC power cable. They can be operated from the dredge using remote control, including automatic control of the multiple dredge pumps. Each booster takes up the same-sized space as a 30’ container, making for easy relocation.

Both E-boosters have been tested extensively at the Damen Dredging yard in Nijkerk, the Netherlands. During these tests, Joppe Neijens, Damen sales manager said, “It is quite remarkable how silent these boosters are compared to the diesel driven ones. That and the fact that they can be powered from the grid make them extremely well suited for dredging jobs in sensitive environments.”

Johann Bunte Bauunternehmung GmbH & Co. KG is a well-known German family-owned contractor with a large portfolio of dredging and construction projects. Management Board spokesman, Frank Schreiber, says, “Our investment in the Elektrobooster is part of our corporate strategy as an element of our sustainability concept. Efficiency, environmental protection and resource conservation are very important for a modern construction company like Bunte. The boosters will be named Pirate XII and Pirate XIII to follow our company tradition.”

A Niedersachsen motorway project will be the maiden job for the silent boosters. They will work behind the stationary dredger Pirate II, and will pump 1.2 Mio. m³ sand over a distance of 7.6 kilometres through a nature reserve to the new A26 motorway near Hamburg.

The electric boosters represent just one element of Damen’s own strategy to become the most sustainable shipbuilder in the world. The company has developed a number of solutions for improved environmental efficiency, including a fully electric cutter suction dredger, capable of zero emission dredging projects. The electrical booster stations are a welcome addition to the Damen portfolio and the extensive Bunte dredging fleet.