Shipping and dredging industry
Dredging includes all activities necessary for removing sand, silt and other layers from the sediment, as well as reclaiming land and cleaning up surface water. The word dredging comes from dredging, which is sludge that is created by plant residues, waste, bottom material and leaves that settle on the bottom of waterways. In the long run, this can hinder shipping traffic or the capacity to discharge water. Regularly removing the dredged sludge and spoil is therefore important. Often the dredge is contaminated, making disposal more complicated (and more expensive). The Netherlands and Belgium are known for their many dredging companies that carry out this work in many places around the world.
Dredging can be appropriate for several reasons. There are three main traditional reasons:
1. Capital dredging: for example the construction of new docks or fairways or preparation of the seabed for offshore installations.
2. Land reclamation: the construction of artificial islands.
3. Maintenance dredging: maintaining waterways and harbors
The goals of dredging work are diverse, but usually a combination of the following goals is sought:
• Removing material from below the surface of the water to create greater depth.
• Filling a void, on land or under water, with material that is extracted underwater..
• The extraction of building materials such as sand
• The extraction of precious ores and minerals
• Improving the environment by removing or covering (capping) contaminated sludge.
Bedu pumps has very good experiences in this sector with various pumps including fuel trim pumps, bilge pumps, cooling water pumps and gland pumps.
Seagoing vessels:
From January 1, 2020, it is not allowed to use fuel with more than 0.5% sulfur in the fuel outside the ECAs. Unless the ship is equipped with a flue gas cleaning system (scrubber) with which the ship reduces the emissions of sulfur to the level that ships with low sulfur fuel reach. Also, from 1 March 2020, a seagoing vessel may not have fuel of more than 0.5% sulfur on board. Unless the ship is carrying the fuel as cargo. Here too, the exception applies to ships with a scrubber.
Bedu pumps plays an important role in this by supplying pumps for LNG fuel systems and pumps for the scrubbers.