National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC) of Abu Dhabi has granted Royal IHC an order to upgrade the automation of three heavy-duty cutter suction dredgers (CSDs).
The AL SADR, AL MIRFA and KATTOUF were built by Royal IHC between 1999-2001, and were equipped with the then latest versions of IHC DPM® (dredge profile monitor) and ACC® (automatic cutter controller).
Royal IHC has continued to develop these presentation and automation tools, which accurately monitor the vessel’s position, and serve automatic swinging, profile/depth dredging, spud carrier stepping and pump control.
For example, the automatic pump controller now uses artificial intelligence, and the swing controller has been extended with modern torque control for greater balance during operation.
NMDC has opted to install the most recent versions of these automation systems to ensure its vessels are fully up-to-date with the latest technology and enhance the efficiency of its operations.
The company has also requested the installation of a dredge fleet monitoring system (DFMS), and will be one of the first customers to benefit from this feature. DFMS enables monitoring of the vessels’ dredging performance from the office and is helpful in assisting operators in operational methods.
The upgrades will be completed and commissioned in the first half of 2017. They will prepare NMDC’s three CSDs for the next decade, enhancing their efficiency and assisting operators with challenging dredging requirements.