Kilode ti Awọn alagbaṣe Dredge Ọjọgbọn Ṣe Yan IMS Versi-Dredge^® Gẹ́gẹ́ bí Ẹgbẹ́ Ọkọ̀ Ojú Omi?

Gẹ́gẹ́ bí agbáṣe ìwakọ̀ omi hydraulic tó gbajúmọ̀ ní Amẹ́ríkà, Dredge America ní àwọn ìwakọ̀ omi 18 nínú ọkọ̀ ojú omi wọn, ó lé ní iṣẹ́ tó ti parí tó 400 nínú àkójọ wọn àti àkọọ́lẹ̀ tó péye fún ọdún 35 nínú iṣẹ́ náà. A lè bá Ààrẹ Dredge America, Sam Robinson, PE, jókòó, ẹni tó fún wa ní ìtàn tó dùn mọ́ni nípa àwọn ọkọ̀ ojú omi Versi-Dredge àtijọ́ àti ìdí tí wọ́n fi ń fi owó sí Versi-Dredges fún ọkọ̀ ojú omi wọn.

Why did you select the IMS Versi-Dredge for your dredge fleet operations over other dredges available in the marketplace?

“Right tool, right job. This philosophy is one of the key reasons Dredge America has been able to maintain growth and overcome the adversities that the marine industry presents, for the last 35 years. Selecting the right dredge for a project gives us the best results for our team, our clients, and the project as a whole. To that point, we have a diverse fleet of machines, and we’ve always found that having IMS Versi-Dredge units of various sizes has provided us an advantage for specific projects. There are many different types of jobs including lakes, rivers, restoration projects, and industrial plants. Given the nature of the diverse scopes of work that we perform, and that each project has a different goal in mind, we found that the IMS Versi-Dredge fleet has proven to fit the ‘right tool’ philosophy with its adaptability, and efficiencies of scale.”

Kí ló dé tí Dredge America fi ra ọ̀pọ̀lọpọ̀ ẹ̀rọ Versi-Dredge àti iye àwọn ẹ̀rọ mélòó tí wọ́n ti rà lórí àkókò? Àwọn mélòó ló wà nínú ọkọ̀ ojú omi náà lọ́wọ́lọ́wọ́?

“Dredge America ni o ni dredges 18 lọwọlọwọ, mẹrin si ni IMS 7012 HP Versi-Dredges. A ni meji ninu awọn Mud Cats yin pẹlu. A ti ni ati ṣiṣẹ awọn dredges auger nigbagbogbo jakejado akoko ti a ti wa ninu ile-iṣẹ naa. Ni akoko kan, awọn ọkọ oju omi wa ti o yatọ jẹ IMS 4010 Versi-Dredges mẹrin, iyẹn ni ohun ti a ṣe. Laibikita boya o jẹ irinṣẹ ti o tọ fun iṣẹ ti o tọ, iyẹn ni a ṣe kọ iṣowo wa, o si fun wa laaye lati faagun, fifi awọn iru dredges oriṣiriṣi ati awọn ohun elo ti o tobi sii kun. A ti rii nigbagbogbo pe nini awọn dredges wọnyẹn gẹgẹbi aṣayan ninu awọn ọkọ oju omi wa fun wa ni aye ti o dara julọ lati dije ni ọja fun awọn iru iṣẹ akanṣe kan pato. Ni akoko pupọ, a ti ra o kere ju IMS Versi-Dredges 10.”

What features make the Versi-Dredge ideal for your dredging projects?

“Specifically, right now the IMS 7012 HP Versi-Dredge has been a real winner for us. And, so, I’ll speak to it specifically as we have four of them in our fleet and it has fit a nice niche for us. One, it’s productivity. Having a heavy-duty underwater slurry pump (the 12 in. by 10 in. GIW) on the equipment has been a great addition for us; two, the simplicity of one-truck transportability. For our specific applications, in lagoons, industrial facilities, and tailings ponds, you can get into tight places that you normally wouldn’t be able to get an equivalent cutter suction dredge into. Not only can we mobilize the 7012s more easily, but we also get great production rates out of it. It’s been a nice option for us that we didn’t always have. In addition to its transportability, an even bigger advantage is we can reach 30 feet depths. I don’t know of any other one truck transportable machine that can dig to 30 feet effectively in the market. These are a few of the reasons that the Versi-Dredge has been a great fit for our specific market.”

So, the only other types of one truck transportable dredges that can reach those depths are hanging pump dredges, right?

“I don’t count that. That’s not dredging. That’s more of a homemade system, it’s different. That type of system overpromises and underdelivers every time, and you don’t have the ability to control it. It’s a temporary solution. I understand that there are applications where it’s necessary with situations such as extraordinarily deep depths, but even then, we’ve built an auger dredge that can dig 120 feet which is way more effective than hanging a pump off the end of a barge up and down. So, we would never choose to use one of these systems due to the constant monitoring, inefficiencies, and inability to sustain consistent solids. You know, you’re in a load and out a load, and in a load and out. In reality, dredging in itself is inherently inefficient and then you introduce hanging a pump off a barge. And, even with the best technology, you truly can’t control it in the way that it’s sold. That’s my opinion. You know, I think there are applications for them. I like where some of the manufacturers have gone with excavator-mounted cutter pumps. I think that’s a really good use for them.”

How does the propulsion versatility with the patented Starwheel Drive self-propulsion system and the cable drive rigging system work for your operations?

“Recently we’ve gotten into the paper mill market and have quite a few projects where we’ve been able to utilize the Starwheel Drive system to get into areas where we simply couldn’t utilize cables due to equipment (aerators) that are located within the pond. The Starwheels have allowed us to be effective in places where we otherwise couldn’t. Specifically, a project where we were utilizing a spud dredge, but we couldn’t access the areas around the aerators because you couldn’t spud down due to the potential of hitting submerged electrical cables. Also, you couldn’t run cables across the pond because you couldn’t weave in and out of the existing aerators that were present. So, the only way to access it was by pushing a dredge with a boat, or you find something that has self-propulsion, and we have that IMS 7012 with the Starwheel Drive and the thruster and have been able to utilize those in conjunction to move out in the pond and create an effective restoration project for a mill facility. We like to use the cable drive system on long runs, you know thousands of feet, to small ponds that you can put on blocks a couple of 100 feet out in front of you. It’s always worked well for us.”

Kí ni ìrírí rẹ pẹ̀lú ẹ̀ka ìrànlọ́wọ́ ilé iṣẹ́ IMS àti ẹ̀ka àwọn ẹ̀yà ara?

“Truly superior, exceptional parts department. Shout out to Todd up there. They do a great job supporting us, getting us parts and pieces for our older machines. They are always keeping us up to date on changes that we need to make to have the most effective systems in place for spare parts. They’re always willing to overnight parts or find something for us. We have a great, great relationship with the parts department and given that we run 18 dredges, all Ellicott and IMS Versi-Dredges, they keep us running, which is the backbone of our business.”