IHC BEAVER®: AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE DREDGING MARKET FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY
Successful cutter suction dredger product line relies on Cat engines
The English would say that Royal IHC in Kinderdijk know ‘a thing or two’ about building dredgers. That’s hardly surprising for a company that has been around since the 17th century and has been building dredgers for more than 150 years. This rich history has made the company a world market leader. No less than half of all dredging equipment currently sailing around our world’s oceans comes from Royal IHC. Pon Power News focuses on IHC Beaver®, a high-quality line of standardised cutter suction dredgers that Royal IHC produces in stock.
RICH HISTORY
Royal IHC
WHAT IS A CUTTER SUCTION DREDGER?
Let's start at the beginning. What exactly is a cutter suction dredger? "A cutter suction dredger is a ship without its own propulsion that cuts the bottom with a rotating cutter head," explains IHC Beaver® product manager Peter de Graaff. “The sucking head is fitted with a dredging pump, which pumps the mixture of soil and water to the landfill. Sometimes this could be a location at a distance of a few kilometres." The IHC Beaver® product line consists of a series of five models, ranging from the compact 15.75-metre-long 30 to the impressive, 58-metre-long 65 DDSP.
MODULAR BUILD
The Beaver® is known for its robust construction, reliability and performance. Every Beaver® is modular, which means that the vessel can be dismantled and transported to the next location by ship, rail or truck. More than 800 Beavers® are currently sailing around worldwide and the number is growing fast.
PRODUCTION IN STOCK
De Graaff explains: “One of the things that distinguishes our Beavers® from the competition is that we produce them in stock. This means that, if a customer decides to buy any given cutter suction
dredger, it is also possible for him,so to speak, to come and collect his Beaver®, ready to use, tested and certified at Kinderdijk that very same day. That proposition, in combination with intelligent
engineering and proven reliability, means that we have seen a doubling in the number of Beavers sold in recent years. We are very proud of that.”
PETER DE GRAAFF
Product Manager
IHC Beaver®
"Pon Power has been a very important sparring partner for years"
NO PROPULSION
This does not only apply to Peter de Graaff; they feel the same way at Pon Power in Papendrecht. Daan de Jong, Account Manager Marine at the company, explains: “Almost every Beaver®, since 1963, has a Cat engine on board and we work closely together. So the success of the Beaver® series also feels a bit like our success." Ah, so that's why. But wait a minute... those Beavers® don't have any propulsion on board? What’s the Cat doing there then? De Jong: "Good point! Although the Beavers® don’t have their own propulsion systems, the dredging pump still needs to be driven and in some cases also the hydraulics. That’s what we use the Cat engines for."
FACTS &
FIGURES
MORE POWER
A cutter suction dredger is a compact working ship with a lot of power on board. And that comes with a lot of specific challenges. "We are constantly looking for ways to get more power out of technology," De Graaff explains. “The load on a dredging pump is really different from a propulsion system and Pon Power has a very keen understanding of our application. That’s why they have been one of our most important sparring partners for years."
FULLY-FLEDGED PARTNERSHIP
De Jong confirms this: “We do indeed work side by side with the Beaver® team to provide the technical support that IHC is looking for. It often concerns power, but we’re also constantly in discussion about issues, such as fuel saving, emission requirements and reliability. Both men agree that the relationship between the companies goes well beyond supplier-customer: it’s a fully-fledged partnership.
DAAN DE JONG
Account Manager Marine, Pon Power
"Our relationship goes well beyond supplier-customer: it’s a fully-fledged partnership"
LOCAL SERVICE GUARANTY
De Graaff also mentions another important reason for IHC Beaver® to choose Caterpillar: “Our customers operate all over the world. So they want the assurance that if there is a problem, they can get service and replacement parts locally. Caterpillar offers them that certainty.
HIGHLY RELIABLE
Moreover, Cat engines are known to be highly reliable. We build on stock, so we use engines with a good reputation in the market. And that certainly applies to Cat.” De Jong smiles: "I’ve got nothing to add to that!"
IHC BEAVER®: AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE DREDGING MARKET FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY
Successful cutter suction dredger product line relies on Cat engines
RICH HISTORY
Royal IHC
The English would say that Royal IHC in Kinderdijk know ‘a thing or two’ about building dredgers. That’s hardly surprising for a company that has been around since the 17th century and has been building dredgers for more than 150 years. This rich history has made the company a world market leader. No less than half of all dredging equipment currently sailing around our world’s oceans comes from Royal IHC. Pon Power News focuses on IHC Beaver®, a high-quality line of standardised cutter suction dredgers that Royal IHC produces in stock.
WHAT IS A CUTTER SUCTION DREDGER?
Let's start at the beginning. What exactly is a cutter suction dredger? "A cutter suction dredger is a ship without its own propulsion that cuts the bottom with a rotating cutter head," explains IHC Beaver® product manager Peter de Graaff. “The sucking head is fitted with a dredging pump, which pumps the mixture of soil and water to the landfill. Sometimes this could be a location at a distance of a few kilometres." The IHC Beaver® product line consists of a series of five models, ranging from the compact 15.75-metre-long 30 to the impressive, 58-metre-long 65 DDSP.
MODULAR BUILD
The Beaver® is known for its robust construction, reliability and performance. Every Beaver® is modular, which means that the vessel can be dismantled and transported to the next location by ship, rail or truck. More than 800 Beavers® are currently sailing around worldwide and the number is growing fast.
PRODUCTION IN STOCK
De Graaff explains: “One of the things that distinguishes our Beavers® from the competition is that we produce them in stock. This means that, if a customer decides to buy any given cutter suction dredger, it is also possible for him,so to speak, to come and collect his Beaver®, ready to use, tested and certified at Kinderdijk that very same day. That proposition, in combination with intelligent engineering and proven reliability, means that we have seen a doubling in the number of Beavers sold in recent years. We are very proud of that.”
"Pon Power has been a very important sparring partner for years"
Product Manager
IHC Beaver®
PETER DE GRAAFF
NO PROPULSION
This does not only apply to Peter de Graaff; they feel the same way at Pon Power in Papendrecht. Daan de Jong, Account Manager Marine at the company, explains: “Almost every Beaver®, since 1963, has a Cat engine on board and we work closely together. So the success of the Beaver® series also feels a bit like our success." Ah, so that's why. But wait a minute... those Beavers® don't have any propulsion on board? What’s the Cat doing there then? De Jong: "Good point! Although the Beavers® don’t have their own propulsion systems, the dredging pump still needs to be driven and in some cases also the hydraulics. That’s what we use the Cat engines for."
FACTS & FIGURES
MORE POWER
A cutter suction dredger is a compact working ship with a lot of power on board. And that comes with a lot of specific challenges. "We are constantly looking for ways to get more power out of technology," De Graaff explains. “The load on a dredging pump is really different from a propulsion system and Pon Power has a very keen understanding of our application. That’s why they have been one of our most important sparring partners for years."
"Our relationship goes well beyond supplier-customer: it’s a fully-fledged partnership"
DAAN DE JONG
Account Manager Marine, Pon Power
FULLY-FLEDGED PARTNERSHIP
De Jong confirms this: “We do indeed work side by side with the Beaver® team to provide the technical support that IHC is looking for. It often concerns power, but we’re also constantly in discussion about issues, such as fuel saving, emission requirements and reliability. Both men agree that the relationship between the companies goes well beyond supplier-customer: it’s a fully-fledged partnership.
LOCAL SERVICE GUARANTY
De Graaff also mentions another important reason for IHC Beaver® to choose Caterpillar: “Our customers operate all over the world. So they want the assurance that if there is a problem, they can get service and replacement parts locally. Caterpillar offers them that certainty.
HIGHLY RELIABLE
Moreover, Cat engines are known to be highly reliable. We build on stock, so we use engines with a good reputation in the market. And that certainly applies to Cat.” De Jong smiles: "I’ve got nothing to add to that!"
ROYAL IHC:
Reliable supplier of innovative, complex and efficient equipment, ships and services for the offshore, dredging and wet mining markets.
IHC BEAVER®:
Cutter suction dredger available from stock at Royal IHC
CUTTER SUCTION DREDGER:
Stationary or self-propelled ship that loosens material at the bottom of a river, lake or sea with a rotating cutter and pumps it away