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Van Oord has ordered two fuel-saving trailing suction hopper dredgers with a hopper volume of approximately 17,000 cubic metres (cbm).

Spanish firm Construcciones Navales del Norte S.L., is to build the ships at its yard in Bilbao. Both vessels are scheduled to be delivered in 2017.

"The order is in line with Van Oord’s innovative investment programme and is part of the replacement programme of older trailing suction hopper dredgers. The new vessels are a contribution to the further modernisation of Van Oord’s fleet and mark the start of a new generation of trailing suction hopper dredgers," Van Oord said in a statement.

The dredgers are to be built with a hopper capacity of approximately 17,000 cbm, a length of 158 metres and a width of 36 metres.

They are to be equipped with two suction pipes with submerged e-driven dredge pumps, two shore discharge dredge pumps, six bottom doors and a total installed power of 23,680 kilowatts (kW).

"These modern vessels will strengthen the mid-class section of our hopper fleet. The vessels are characterised by a large deadweight in combination with a shallow draft, which makes them very competitive in various markets, including the market for coastal protection projects," said Van Oord's COO Paul Verheul.

During the design phase, Van Oord says that "special attention" was paid to the energy efficiency of the vessels.

"The design includes several aspects which result in substantial reductions in fuel consumption and consequently a fall in CO2 emissions. The vessels are being equipped with innovative and sustainable systems and will obtain a Green Passport and Clean Ship Notation," Van Oord said.

Van Oord designed the vessels in-house in cooperation with Dutch company C-Job Naval Architects.