NORWAY – SeaBed Services, a Norwegian dredging company that specializes in the removal and cleansing of heavily contaminated matter from seabeds, purchased an IMS Model 7012 HP Versi-Dredge for use in marinas, ports and fjords in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. With a focus on environmentally friendly dredging, they selected the 7012 HP with a supplementary IMS Environmental Plus cutterhead and an elongated turbidity shroud to be used when they dredge contaminated sediment.
Versi-Dredge simulator at the IMS factory prior to purchase.
In addition to their ROV services, seabed sampling, deep dredging in the North Sea and 3D multibeam surveying, SeaBed Services has now expanded its operations to include dredging services for marinas and ports. SeaBed selected the 7012 HP due to the Starwheel Drive self-propulsion system. This allows them to operate in areas where cables are not practical because of boat traffic or narrow docks. The Versi-Dredge’s one truck transportability was also important as Norway is a mountainous country where roads tend to be narrow. Getting the dredge to the site on Tromøy Island for its first job was easier than expected in spite of a low overpass at the entrance to the marina and shallow water.
an overpass that was just 2.3m at its highest point.
In addition to their ROV services, seabed sampling, deep dredging in the North Sea and 3D multibeam surveying, SeaBed Services has now expanded its operations to include dredging services for marinas and ports. SeaBed selected the 7012 HP due to the Starwheel Drive self-propulsion system. This allows them to operate in areas where cables are not practical because of boat traffic or narrow docks. The Versi-Dredge’s one truck transportability was also important as Norway is a mountainous country where roads tend to be narrow. Getting the dredge to the site on Tromøy Island for its first job was easier than expected in spite of a low overpass at the entrance to the marina and shallow water.
pumping the hard shell sand to a dewatering site 1/2 km away.
The first project was to dredge an inlet/marina where compact shell-sand had accumulated for over 1,000 years. The allocated project time was 30 days but with the 7012 HP the job was completed in less than one week, including a 5 day start-up and training of SeaBed Services’ operators.
In Tromøy the Versi-Dredge pumped the hard shell sand to a makeshift dewatering pond half a kilometer away.
Adrian Rösiö, IMS Northern Europe Territory Manager, was present during the factory visit, start-up and initial project in Tromøy. “We were able to supply the dredge from stock to meet a very tight delivery deadline,” said Rosio. “When one of the containers fell behind due to the vessel schedule, IMS was able to airfreight the required dredging hoses to Arendal so SeaBed’s project did not miss a beat.”
SeaBed Services’ operating personnel were trained by IMS in conjunction with the arrival of the dredge at Arendal Port and were operating it independently within a matter of days. At one point a fishing net with steel rings and lead weights wrapped around the cutterhead without slowing down production. Also, a large rock weighing 35-40kg was flipped onto the cutterhead shroud during dredging operations and it took two men to get it to the dock.
“My staff and I really like this machine and I look forward to having an entire fleet of them,” commented Gisle Espeland, SeaBed Services’ General Manager.”
Project Manager Frank Dale also commented: “We are the first in Scandinavia to have a self-propelling dredge that is one-truck transportable and we pride ourselves in being early adopters of innovative technology so that we can offer the most environmentally friendly dredging services without being too costly.”
In addition to dredging silt, sand and contaminated sediments in ports and marinas, SeaBed Services also aims to use the 7012 HP for environmental remediation projects such as swamps in nature reserves and eutrophic lakes that need deepening.
“We are pleased we were able to meet the high expectations of a world class company like SeaBed Services,” commented Ryan Horton, IMS Global Sales Director. “These are sophisticated clients that have developed their own proprietary environmental dredging technologies. You know you are doing something right when a company like SeaBed wants to buy your technology.”
pumping the hard shell sand to a dewatering site 1/2 km away.
Tromøy is the largest island in Southern Norway and known for having been the headquarters of many Viking kings, including the King of Agder. Situated near the town Arendal, this maritime community includes the port Kongshavn, which was a safe haven for the king’s ships during the Viking Era. This idyllic island is nicknamed “The Pearl of Southern Norway” and it was important for the locals to have the dredging cause as little turbidity as possible.
