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Naming Ceremony for Van Oord’s Second Damen CSD 650

On 16 November, a naming ceremony was held at Damen Dredging Equipment in Nijkerk for the second of Van Oord’s Damen cutter suction dredgers (CSD) 650, the Mangystau. The ceremony was attended by members of the Van Oord and Damen families. The vessel will be delivered to the client in the first week of January.

 Damen received the first order for a CSD650, the Ural River, from leading dredging and marine contractor Van Oord at the end of 2014. With delivery scheduled six weeks from ordering, the on-stock availability of the vessel was a critical factor to support Van Oord’s dredging projects in the Caspian Sea. With project time extended, Van Oord required additional equipment to finalise operations.

In contrast to the time restrictions for the Ural River, this second order allowed for Van Oord to apply a procurement approach to the sourcing of the dredger. The quality and flexibility to incorporate all of Van Oord’s wishes, in addition to the strength of Damen’s first delivery, ultimately facilitated securing the tender for the Mangystau.

“The success of sister ship Ural River laid the basis for the design of the Mangystau. Damen’s knowledge combined with our practical experiences resulted in a very versatile vessel. The name Mangystau refers to a province in the region of the Caspian Sea, which is an important working area for Van Oord,” says Govert van Oord, area director for Europe.