"Beagle® 4 is versatile and accurate like a Swiss Army knife"
The TEUNIS HUIBERTUS, a TSHD Beagle® 4, delivered by IHC Dredging to Gebr. van der Lee, has more than lived up to the high expectations. The trailing suction hopper dredger was delivered to the Dutch construction company on 1 February 2023 and has already been deployed on various dredging projects in the Netherlands and Germany. Fleet manager Niels Hooites of Gebr. van der Lee describes their latest acquisition as a 'Swiss Army knife': "The vessel performs remarkably well in both silt and sand. It is versatile, accurate and delivers great performance. This trailing suction hopper dredger will enable us to contract more ambitious projects."
Fuel efficiency and low emissions
When Gebr. van der Lee was looking to expand its dredging fleet, the environmental footprint of a new trailing suction hopper dredger was an important selection criterion. In fact, the clients of many European dredging projects are increasingly focusing on the use of cleaner vessels. The Beagle® 4 was therefore a logical choice for Gebr. van der Lee.
This trailing suction hopper dredger not only offers excellent dredging performance, but also the lowest possible resistance thanks to an optimised hull shape. Combined with a well-balanced and efficient engine room, resulting in best-in-class fuel efficiency and low greenhouse gas emissions, as well as an IMO Tier III compliant exhaust gas treatment, the Beagle® 4 scores well on the environmental cost indicator, a critical success factor in winning European tenders.
Outstanding dredging performance
The TEUNIS HUIBERTUS has already worked on a wide range of projects. From sand replenishment near the coast of Scheveningen to dredging on the Kieler Canal. Commenting on the performance of the Beagle® 4, Niels Hooites says: "The vessel is versatile and has a good size." He describes how the vessel's dredging performance surprises their customers. "How the vessel sails and dredges ... it's really quite unique. A waterway authority in Germany had never seen a dredging job done in such a short time before. We did in six days what took a previous contractor more than seven days."
We did in six days what took a previous contractor more than seven days
Niels Hooites - Fleet manager Gebr. van der Lee
Insight into profitability
In order to give customers an insight into the performance of their future vessel, IHC Dredging calculates the expected production volumes and associated costs for them in the preliminary phase. Using advanced tools developed in-house, we also provide insight into the performance of vessels and equipment in the field. This gives our customers a reliable insight into the expected utilisation of the new vessel and enables them to accurately determine their return on investment.
Proven outperformance
The performance of the Beagle® 4 was compared with that of the MARINUS G, another dredging vessel of Gebr. van der Lee, on a project that the MARINUS G. had recently completed. Jan Boeren, sales manager at IHC Dredging, says: "Our analysis showed, that the Beagle® 4 was a perfect match and proved to be better in terms of cost per cubic metre dredged and fuel consumption."
Getting started
Niels Hooites has nothing but compliments for working with IHC Dredging. "I have never seen such a well-organised and structured sea trial, with so little delivery points. And the training on the sailing and dredging simulator at Royal IHC's training institute has also been very instructive for our crew on board the TEUNIS HUIBERTUS. They really know how to operate a suction pipe, but the Beagle® 4 has the latest technology and automation. This training has helped us a great deal to make good use of these systems and to increase our output."
Life cycle support
The added value of IHC Dredging for its customers is not only in the construction process. "It is also in the service they provide after delivery," says Niels Hooites. "They support us and are always thinking along with us, for example, how we can further increase the dredging performance of the TEUNIS HUIBERTUS and what opportunities exist for even more efficient fuel consumption."
Shared drive for improvement
Jan Boeren adds: "Gebr. van der Lee and the crew can continue to rely on us in the future. Our aim is to ensure that our customers' vessels continue to perform at their very best, throughout their lifetimes. We don't stop after delivery or when the warranty period expires. We want the customer to benefit from our knowledge and expertise. We share the drive to improve and we pull together."
Company profile
Gebr. van der Lee is a medium-sized Dutch family business active in all areas of civil engineering. The versatile company was established in 1975 and has branches in Lelystad, Dordrecht and Echt in addition to its head office in Hagestein.
The dredging activities of Gebr. van der Lee started about a decade ago, and they are very successful. Its activities and fleet are expanding year by year. This growth continues and the company now also carries out water construction projects outside the Netherlands.
The TEUNIS HUIBERTUS is the third dredger in Gebr. van der Lee's fleet of six vessels. It was the first newbuild vessel and is by far their largest trailing suction hopper dredger.
Beagle® 4
The Beagle® 4 is a trailing suction hopper dredger with a hopper capacity of 4,000 m3. It is part of IHC Dredging's range of medium-sized 'standard' hoppers - also available in 6,000, 8,000 and 12,000 m3 versions - is equipped with the latest innovations and state-of-the-art dredging equipment.
Our aim is to maximise the performance of our customers' vessels.
Jan Boeren - Sales manager IHC Dredging
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