Dredging at Port Klang for bigger ships on target

NST Logistics 22 January 2007

Deepening of the Northern Approach Channel at Port Klang to allow bigger and deep draft vessels to call at Northport is making good progress and is expected to be completed before end of the year.
 
Integrated Marine Works Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Malaysia’s dredging giant, Inai Kiara Sdn Bhd, said almost 60 per cent of the dredging of the Channel has been completed.
 
The company has deployed a versatile 126m trailing suction hopper dredger, Mv Inai Tulip to remove the spoils from the seabed and “work is progressing round-the-clock to remove the deposits from the Channel”.
 
To date, the dredger has removed more than 12 million cubic metres of deposits from the Channel to allow better under keel clearance for bigger and deep draft vessels to navigate the channel to safely berth at Port Klang.
 
Inai Tulip has a hull in the shape of a conventional ship, and is highly seaworthy and able to operate without any form of mooring or spud.
 
The self-propelled ship went through a major refurbishing at Singapore Technologies Marines recently and was delivered to Inai Kiara in 2005.
 
“The dredger has since been deployed on the job at Port Klang,” said the master of Inai Tulip, Capt Mohd Anizi.
 
Inai Tulip which built by IHC Holland, Kinderdijk is equipped with twin (one on each side) trailing suction pipes with 1,000mm diameter. Materials that are dredged from the sea are lifted through the trailing pipes and discharged into an 8,000 cubic metre hopper contained within the hull of the dredger.
 
The dredger which has the capability to dredge up to 25 metre-33 metre depth operates very much like a floating vacuum cleaner. The trailing suction hopper dredger operates by skimming off layers of materials from the seabed.
 
The suction pipe, linked with a draghead, is incorporates a water-jet system and blades and other means of dislodging compacted materials. The draghead allows the materials to flow to the suction inlet as efficiently as possible.
 
The dredged materials are mixed with water, pumped up, and then discharged into hopper.
 
There the heavy material settles, and the surplus water is overflow to the sea.
 
“When we dredge we normally sail at a speed of 1.5 knots when the dredging work is in progress and its takes between one and half to two hours for us to fill up the hopper with some 7,000 cubic metre material,” said Capt Anizi.
 
Once the hopper is full, Inai Tulip will sail like any other ordinary ships at 10 knots towards the West Channel dumping ground located some twenty nautical miles away. The dump is an area identified by the government.
 
“It takes about two hours for us to reach the dumping ground and when the dredger reaches above the ground, the doors below the hull are released slowly to ensure that the dumping materials are disposed evenly on the seabed. The doors are then closed again and the dredger is back to dredging site at 14 knots,” explained Capt Anizi.
 
Capt Azizi said an average cycle takes about 6 hours.
 
“We work with 30 crew members and work 24 hours. We complete four round-trips in a day,” said Capt Mohd Anizi.
 
He said the trailing suction hopper dredger used is one of the best methods as it allows economic transfer of the dredged materials, especially for dredging of approach channels or reclamation projects.
 
When the dredging work is completed by end of this year, the dredger would have removed 22.62 million cubic metre deposits from the approach channel and will pave way for the bigger vessels to reach Northport via Pulau Angsa passage through Northport Channel.
 
The multi-million dredging work is being carried out in six parcels (1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B and 2C). The sector from Sarang Lang to Buoy 14 will dredged to 15.5 metres and from Buoy 14 to Pulau Angsa is being dredged to 13.5 metre.

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