---

Dredging Environmental & Marine Engineering's (DEME) trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) Minerva was officially named at the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, on Friday. It follows the vessel's launch ceremony on December 3.

The 3,500-cubic-metre (cbm) trailing suction hopper dredger is the first dredging vessel in the world equipped with dual-fuel engines and capable of operating in LNG mode. The vessel also has a 'Green Passport' and 'Clean Design' notation, complying with and exceeding the strictest international emission requirements.

The Minerva was built at Royal IHC's shipyard in the Netherlands. It forms part of DEME's multi-year fleet investment programme, which is focused on further increasing efficiency, both in terms of productivity and environmental performance.

Bart Verboomen, Head of DEME's Technical Department, said: "We operate in an industry where our customers invest in a green energy supply and implement measures to limit the impact of their operations on the environment. It is a logical step for DEME to make the transition to cleaner types of fuel such as LNG to meet customer requirements and to comply with changing legislation and emission reduction targets."

Scheldt River and performance-improving technology

The launch ceremony of DEME's - and the world's - second LNG-fuelled TSHD, the 7,950-cbm Scheldt River, took place in January at Royal IHC's shipyard in Krimpen aan den IJssel, Netherlands.

As part of its efforts to save fuel, DEME has developed a two-speed propulsion drive for both the Minerva and the Scheldt River. 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 the 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.