The postponed christening of the 106-metre trailing suction hopper dredger Krakesandt (registered in the Netherlands) took place in Kampen, the Netherlands, on Thursday 24 March. This energy-efficient trailing suction hopper dredger will soon be put into service for De Hoop Terneuzen.
The first major milestone for the vessel, then still known as BN348, was on 7 December, when the impressive ship was launched at Bodewes Shipyards in Kampen, just after 12 noon. Due to Covid measures, the Kampen shipyard was closed to visitors and the christening that had been planned could not go ahead. The ship's name was kept a secret until the actual christening.
The ship is named after a 14th century sandbank off the coast of the Dutch town of Cadzand.
There is also the legend of the kraken, a sea monster of enormous size that looked like an octopus. According to sailor's lore, when part of this monster was above the water level, it resembled a sandbar and many a ship mistakenly docked there. The ship and crew would then disappear into the depths never to be seen again. As current knowledge has it, this sea creature actually existed until at least the 10th century.
The Krakesandt was built entirely in the Netherlands. It is 105.90 metres long, 15.85 metres wide and has a draught of 6.94 metres. In addition to smart power management, the use of electric propulsion increases propeller efficiency while dredging, travelling and manoeuvring. This optimises energy and fuel consumption and reduces emissions. The ship will leave the shipyard for a trial trip after Easter.
BN347, TSHD Anchorage was completed last year and is being used intensively. Its sister ship Krakesandt will join De Hoop Terneuzen's fleet at the end of May.
Source: De Hoop