Amsterdam, 30 September 2009

German shipyard Sietas in Hamburg-Neuenfelde and VOSTA LMG are coming together to build two trailing hopper suction dredgers for Josef Möbius Bau-AG. The contract is part of the of the shipyard’s current order balance of seven special ships. It is the first time that hopper suction dredgers will be built at Sietas’s Neuenfelde shipyard. Sietas has also drawn up a timetable with Josef Möbius Bau-AG and VOSTA LMG for the construction of the ships – commissioned in the summer of 2008 – that responds to the new client’s needs.

An expert in hydraulic engineering and harbour construction, Hamburg-based Josef Möbius Bau-AG shifts millions of cubic metres of earth every year using capacity and equipment that are unique in Germany. The company, which has undertaken projects such as the expansion of the Airbus site in Hamburg or work on the construction of the fourth tube of the Elbe tunnel, also counts waterway construction as well as earthwork and underground engineering among its core competencies. The two new hopper suction dredgers mean that Josef Möbius Bau-AG is now expanding its fleet with two innovative, high-performance units. Gerhard Raubenheimer, member of the management board of Josef Möbius Bau-AG, said: “As Germany’s leading hydraulic engineer, we are investing now so that we can also convince our customers of our special strength, the development of innovative solutions for particularly demanding construction projects, in the future. In Sietas, we have found a partner that, like Möbius, has a Hanseatic tradition and is capable of being innovative. Vosta LMG is bringing in the necessary specialist knowledge so that our new dredgers are also competitive internationally.”

Two suction dredgers based on the modular design principle

Working in partnership, Sietas and VOSTA LMG are building two different-sized suction dredgers based on the modular design principle. The long-term experience of VOSTA LMG and Josef Möbius Bau-AG underlies the construction of these types of ships. While the bow and stern will be the same on both ships, the larger dredger will have a loading volume of 7,350 cubic metres, the smaller one 5,550 cubic metres. The draught for both will be 6.80 metres. Sietas is handling the detailed engineering as well as the construction of the ship. VOSTA LMG is supplying the basic design as well as the dredge components. “VOSTA LMG has 140 years of experience in the design and construction of dredging ships. For us, this signifies continuous further development and innovation, which we undertake in close co-operation with our clients. In the Sietas shipyard, we are happy to have an equally high-performing partner in Germany so that together we can guarantee the high quality and efficiency of both these special ships,” says Rudolf Dietze, Managing Director of VOSTA LMG.

The dredgers can load themselves in less than an hour, transport the dredged earth at a speed of 13 knots and then dispose of the earth via the ‘rainbowing’ process or dump it via the six to eight bottom valves. The ships are particularly suitable for deepening and maintaining shipping channels and for the dredging of harbours as well as land reclamation. They each have a suction pipe, one metre in diameter, which can reach depths of up to 30 meters. The dredger ships have a fully diesel-electric drive system. The generators and electric motors are controlled via a new type of power management system, e.g. for the propulsion or dredger pump drive system, to minimise diesel consumption, wear and emissions. The ships can travel with a 16-man crew – e.g. captain, officers, engineers, dredge operators, electricians and deckhands – working around the clock.

It is planned to deliver the hopper suction dredgers to Josef Möbius Bau-AG in the summer of 2010 and in January 2012.

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