Low countries choose low-emission dredging
Over a decade ago, we were the first dredging company to equip all our new vessels with advanced filter technology that reduces their emissions by up to 98%. We call them Ultra-Low Emission vessels (ULEv). Today, these sustainability efforts are generating new contracts in both the Netherlands and Belgium. Bart Praet, structural engineer and Area Manager Dredging Solutions at Jan De Nul, explains how we got this far.
Just when we want to ask Bart how this came to be, he receives a phone call from Michelle Rodgers-Jang, Innovation Manager at the Dutch Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management. She is returning from the UN International Maritime Organisation, where she presented ULEv and the accompanying emission monitoring system.
Bart opens the conversation with a wink: "The Netherlands on the international stage with a Belgian innovation: that is something we can truly be proud of."
Bart, you recently received an award for the ULEv technology from the Department of Waterways and Public Works?
"True. In recent years, our Ultra-Low Emission vessels have been participating in the ‘Innovations in Coastline Management’ programme, run by the Dutch Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management. The aim of this programme is to make a big step forward towards the ambition to make the maintenance of the Dutch coastline climate-neutral and circular by 2030. The programme centres around the innovation partnership: a form of tendering in which the innovation process is the deciding factor. 23 cases were running at the same time, but our case is the only one that made it to the commercial phase. This means a new project for our ULEv dredgers."
What is this new project?
"We will replenish sand along the coast to allow the coastal area to rise with the sea level. Afterwards, a research program will be set up to better understand how sand moves in the Western Scheldt estuary. The goal is to reduce the impact of natural sediment transport so that the shipping channel remains more navigable and we have to dredge less. In addition, we want to investigate how we can influence this natural process to strengthen the estuary against the effects of climate change."
"We are in the lead, but we cannot afford to sit back and relax. The pack is catching up."
And that work will be done with low emissions?
"That is right. Our ULEv's have a filter system and a catalytic converter that reduce harmful emissions. Emissions are reduced by 85 to 95% for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and by 95 to 98% for particulate matter.In addition, we will be using biofuel, which will further reduce emissions. Thanks to the emission monitoring system that we developed throughout this process, our client Rijkswaterstaat can monitor emissions live throughout the entire dredging cycle. This way, everyone knows at any given moment how much – or rather, how little – our vessels are emitting."
The system is said reduce the emissions of a 10,000-tonne dredger to the level of a lorry. Is that correct?
"Almost correct. Brace yourself now – with the current ULEv, the emissions per tonne of cargo are only 10% compared to those of a modern lorry. For our newest vessels, which are currently under construction and are ULEv Euro VI, that is only 3%. When you consider the current nitrogen crisis and the goals for 2030, you have to wonder why it is taking so long for this technology to become mandatory."
One of our engineers explains how to cut a dredging vessel’s emissions by up to 98%
The ULEv technology also recently resulted in a new contract in Belgium?
"At the beginning of this year, we converted the Pieter Coecke, our vessel for sweeping dredging and oil recovery, into a ULEv. It ensures access to the sea locks of the port of Antwerp, clears floating debris from the Scheldt and combats oil pollution. All on behalf of the Flemish government, Maritime Access division of the Mobility and Public Works Department. This contract has a term of three years, but can be extended once if the vessel complies with at least the EU Stage V emission standard by the end of the third calendar year at the latest. The deadline for this was 30 June 2025, but we have already met it now."
Will ULEv earn Jan De Nul more contracts?
"More and more European governments are considering including emission limits and monitoring as award criteria in their contracts. The Netherlands is the first to do so. Flanders will probably follow. This is gradually creating a new standard. Our maintenance dredging work to keep the ports of Antwerp, Ghent, Zeebrugge and Ostend accessible is now also being carried out with ULEv's. Naturally, the competition is preparing for this as well. Many European dredging companies are converting their vessels to ULEv. We are the frontrunner and we should be proud of that. But we cannot sit back and relax. The pack is catching up."
First plug-in hybrid dredger on the way
To tackle the excess nitrogen and its harmful impact on people and the environment, we decided to build a plug-in hybrid trailing suction hopper dredger in June 2024. The vessel will be the smallest hopper in our fleet, measuring 79 metres in length and with a capacity of 2,000 cubic metres. Thanks to the hybrid engine, emissions will be very low and there will be hardly any noise pollution. This makes the vessel very suitable for working in densely populated areas or around vulnerable natural environments.
