The trailing suction hopper dredgers have the capacity to dredge 3,000 cubic metres of sand from the seabed, equivalent in size to Hanson’s existing A-Class vessels. They are scheduled to enter service in 2019.
Hanson UK chief executive Daniel Cooper said: “This significant investment is the first step in a strategic replacement programme for our existing fleet of eight dredgers which deliver marine aggregates into a network of wharves in both the UK and continental Europe. It is also a key part of our overall strategic plan. Marine dredged sand and gravel is critical to our UK business. It is used in around half of our ready-mixed concrete plants and is becoming more and more important due to the increasing scarcity of land-won sand and gravel, particularly around London and southeast England.”
They will be built by the Dutch shipbuilder Barkmeijer at its yard at Stroobos in the Netherlands. The Hanson project team visited shipyards in the Netherlands, Eastern Europe and China before making their decision.
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