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The launch ceremony of the new 7,950-cubic-metre (cbm), dual-fuel trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD), the Scheldt River, took place on 14th January at Royal IHC's shipyard in Krimpen aan den IJssel, Netherlands.

The new vessel, owned by Belgium's Dredging Environmental & Marine Engineering (DEME), is the second IHC-built TSHD vessel capable of running on liquefied natural gas (LNG); it follows the launch of the world's first LNG-powered hopper, Minerva, on 3rd December.

IHC's executive director, Arjan Klijnsoon, explained in a statement: "To further optimise fuel consumption and reduce emissions, IHC has equipped this vessel with new innovations, driven by market developments and customer demand."

IHC stated that, as part of its efforts to save fuel, it has developed a two-speed propulsion drive. In contrast to conventional single-speed propulsion, IHC says its patented two-speed gearbox provides fuel savings when sailing at lower speeds, and that the Scheldt River and Minerva are first TSHDs to benefit from this innovation.

Another addition is the newly developed wing-shaped bow thruster tunnel. IHC says the new shape improves bow thruster performance and is the result of extensive hydrodynamic analysis.

"With this new generation of dual fuel [sic] hoppers, DEME is setting new standards in environmental performance for the dredging industry, and we are proud to be at the forefront of these developments," remarked Alain Bernard, Director and CEO of DEME Group. "Both the Scheldt River and Minerva will comply with the strictest international and local environmental regulations."