Royal IHC said it handed over the 3,000m³ trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) Mont Mandara to Cameroon’s Port Authority of Douala (PAD) on August 20. The delivery completes the PAD fleet, following its acquisition of an IHC Beaver 50 cutter suction dredger and a DMC workboat in 2019.
The new TSHD is an IHC Easydredge from IHC’s standardized range of dredging vessels suited for common maintenance and land reclamation projects. The Mont Mandara offers flexibility to PAD as it can be customized to adapt to its dedicated working environment. Initially, it will be used to execute vital dredging work to maintain the access channel to the port of Douala-Bonabéri.
The TSHD was delivered quickly following the effectiveness of the contract in March this year. The new vessel was constructed in Poland, and sea trials were completed in the Baltic Sea and off the Dutch coast, following delivery in The Netherlands.
IHC said it will also supply a spare parts package, ancillary equipment and extensive training to support PAD’s technical staff.