Thursday, December 4, 2014

Dredge Yard Through 2014

An article written by Dredging Today

Dredge Yard, with the offices in the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and Turkey, is becoming one of the world leaders in dredging market and mining components, equipment and mining technology.

For a few years in a row, the company is proving that it is possible to have worldwide operations, good sales and a growing list of important and satisfied clients at the same time.
As the year’s end nears, we thought that it would be interesting to take a look at some of the Dredge Yard’s major accomplishments for the year.


Most important projects:

•   The delivery of the Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger’s design and components;

•   The development and production of improved dredge pump line related to the design efficiency and wear performance;

Dredge Yard pumps in the machine shop
Dredge pumps in Dredge Yard Makina, Turkey










•   Dredge Yard also completed an order for some of the largest dredge valves ever produced needed for the Trailing Suction Hopper Dredgers;

•   The compact and economic Cutter Suction Dredger ECO200 was introduced during the “Dredging in India” conference, held in Mumbai. The vessel was designed by Dredge Yard’s engineers by using the latest CAD technologies, FEA analysis, CFD analysis. The aim of the design was to make an economic dredger that is low cost at initial acquiring and in daily use.


Some of the achievements that highlight the year:
Dredge Valve

•   Dredge Yard’s ability to calculate dredge pump and dredging system using the most accurate CFD technology;
•   The delivery of dredge pumps using hard material steel like 47VA. This material has the properties of being wear resistant almost in the range of white Iron but having a much higher yield;



Dredge impellers for loading

Water Ball Joint



Inspection of the dredge pipes


•   The conversion of a sand barge to Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge in Latin America;
•   The participation in the 1st Forum of Dredging Companies held in Moscow, Russia where Mr. Basel Yousef, the Dredge Yard CEO discussed about the “Fuel Saving Solution” presenting two solutions for solving major problems with dredge ball joint being the inflexibility of ball joint and the blockage of the flow;
•   Dredge Yard also took a lead role in sponsoring the 33rd PIANC World Congress held in San Francisco;
•   The company participated in the Western Dredging Association (WEDA) and Texas University’s Dredging Summit and Expo 2014 that took place in Canada where Dredge Yard CEO highlighted the need of improving the efficiency and safety in operations of the dredging equipment;
•   Dredge Yard increased its capacity in the machining and assembly shop by acquiring and installing additional new machines in order to be able to align with the capacity of the casting and fettling;
•   Dredge Yard for the first time participated in the Latin American Congress of Ports held in Argentina, a summit convened by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) under the motto: “The pivotal role of Latin American Ports in the integration of the hemisphere and regional development”;
•   The supply of several dredge pumps and dredge pump drives to the mining industry in Africa.
Having all this in mind, there’s no doubt that next year will be even bigger and better for Dredge Yard.

Monday, September 22, 2014

DREDGING ROUNDUP LATIN AMERICA

 Low river levels in the Rio Magdalena have made the country’s primary fluvial transport system unnavigable, leading to an emergency declaration by the nation’s Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (Ideam) and a contract for expanded dredging on the river, according to Colombian media. The river is no longer navigable for about 10 miles below the port of Barrancabermeja in the region of Santander. As a consequence, at least three barges are stuck and cannot pass. That section of river is commonly used to transport gasoline and hydrocarbons from mining operations. Ideam officials said that the impacted section of river is currently at just 1.37 meters (4.5 feet) of depth; in addition to shipping, the low water levels could be a problem for 100 towns whose water supply depends on the river. In August, transport officials announced they had hired a consortium called Navelena to conduct dredging on the river. The consortium, made up of Brazilian company Odebrecht and the Colombian government Valorcon, was the only bidder on the project, and will be paid $1.3 million to recuperate the navigability of the river.
 
ARGENTINA
The Latin American Congress of Ports attracted American company Dredge Yard to its conference in IguazĂș, according to a press release by Dredge Yard. The company hoped to showcase its dredging and mining equipment, including its cutter suction dredges and trailing suction hoper dredges, at a stand and sponsorship of the event, as it works to expand business ties to Latin America.
For more info visit http://www.dredgeyard.com/news.php
 
 
BRAZIL
Brazilian dredging company LUSCHI has been hired to dredge the seawater storage Arcelor Mittal canal for steel and mining company Companhia Docas do Espirito Santo (Codesa). LUSCHI will use its trailing suction hopper dredge Giovanella for the dredging and disposal of sediments that have accumulated in the canal, which measures 600 meters long (2,000 feet) and contains about 46,000 cubic meters (60,166 cubic yards) of sediment that must be removed. During the dredging, a geotextile will be placed next to the mining collection station to prevent the entry of suspended particles into the system as the dredging work kicks up turbidity in the water.
 
BRAZIL
Dredging giant Van Oord has been hired to help build a new shipyard and port in the state of Espirito Santo. The new shipyard is being built by Estaleiro Jurong Aracruz, a Brazilian subsidiary of Sembcorp Marine’s Jurong Shipyard from Singapore. Van Oord’s work will include constructing an access channel, turning basin and berths at the new shipyard. The work will require removing some 6 million cubic meters (7.8 million cubic yards) of material by a large cutter suction dredger; sand carriers will remove the dredged material. The new shipyard will be used to build and maintain vessels for the oil and gas industry in Brazil.
 
MEXICO
The municipal president of Tampico, Tamaulipas has announced a permanent dredging program of the city’s waterways to prevent flooding, according to local news source Hoy Tamaulipas. One of the first projects the city will undertake is the dredging of the TamesĂ­ river, which will directly protect 45 families that live in the Ejido la Isleta neighborhood from flooding, and also ensure the source of water for more than 750,000 residents of the zone. The dredging is expected to remove 500,000 tons of material from the city’s waterways.
 
COSTA RICA 
Tensions again flared between Costa Rica and Nicaragua over the dredging of the Rio San Juan, which forms their borders, according to Costa Rican publication Tico Times. Costa Rican media has reported that Nicaragua would add 13 more dredges to the two that are already in the river, which Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis alleged would affect water levels in the river and could damage the Isla Calero wetlands. He has asked the International Court of Justice at The Hague to get involved. The court previously protected the wetlands in an international decision that ordered Nicaragua to withdraw dredges from the disputed border territory.

ECUADOR
Ecuador says it is moving ahead with its plans to dredge the port of Manta, first to a depth of 12 meters (39 feet) and later to 16 meters (52 feet), according to APM and MundoMaritimo. This project, which President Rafael Correa has advocated for years, will start with a relatively modest investment of $4.2 million. In the first phase the government would hire dredging companies to deepen three berths of 200 meters to 12 meters depth. The long-term vision includes constructing a fourth berth of 16 meters depth, as well as filling 6.7 acres along a dock area for a container storage terminal, the expansion of the breakwater, new dredging of the access channel and turning basin to 14 meters (46 feet), and the construction of two new berths for the industrial fishing fleet. Last year, Correa stated that Manta could handle post-Panamax-plus ships with an investment of $70 million and that the investment would begin in the coming months, but that investment has been slow to materialize.
 
CUBA
A line of credit from China following a visit to Cuba by Chinese President Xi Jinping will allow for the expansion of the Santiago de Cuba port, reports MundoMaritimo. The port, which is on the south eastern coast of the island, will be used for international trade. The $100 million investment will create a new 230-meter berth with modern crane equipment, container storage and transport capacity. A rail line will connect the port to the national transport lines. The access channel to the new berth will be dredged to 11 meters (36 feet), which will allow ships up to 40,000 tons. The port has already undergone dredging in the turning basin, interior channel, secondary channels and several berths, all of which would be expanded in the new investment.
 

Monday, September 8, 2014

Dredging Today – EXCLUSIVE: Dredge Yard at AAPA Congress

Dredging Today – EXCLUSIVE: Dredge Yard at AAPA Congress



XXIII annual Latin American Congress of Ports took place this year in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina, a unique settling between the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.

The summit was convened by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) under the motto: “The pivotal role of Latin American Ports in the integration of the hemisphere and regional development

American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) is the organization which represents the most important ports and ports authorities in Canada, U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean.

XXIII Congress of Latin American Ports inauguration was done by representatives of the American Association of Port Authorities and Government officials as the Former U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, Minister of the Interior and Transportation of the Republic of Argentina and the Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of Ports of the Presidency of Brazil. The Congress offered a good platform for interaction among the ports authorities, dredging companies, operators, and maritime industry decision makers.

The dredging and mining equipment manufacturer Dredge Yard took a lead role in sponsoring the Congress. For three consecutive days Dredge Yard’s representatives were part of the experts that presented and discussed about the world economy and its impact on the international port business, the role and perspectives of Argentinian ports in the integration with Latin America and the world, the inland waterways and river ports, essential for connectivity and regional development.

According to Iulia Berchiu, Dredge Yard’s representative at the AAPA Congress, “the company’s main objective for participating in this event was to showcase its latest innovations in the realm of dredging and mining equipment.”

Dredge Yard at AAPA Congress
lulia Berchiu, Dredge Yard Marketing Manager and Zulma Dinelli, International Coordinator.
Iulia also said that the main aim of Dredge Yard was to exchange ideas and experiences with port authorities, dredging companies, operators, service providers and maritime industry leaders.

The event has raised an awareness to the media and government entities about the crucial role that ports are playing in the transportation system. Gerardo Varela, the General Director of Ports and Auxiliary Maritime Industries in Panama, spoke about the vision and the role of Latin American ports global integration and how Panama can improve its logistical platform and make good connections with the rest of the ports.

AAPA Congress is the annual meeting par excellence and it is considered to be one of the most important events of the sector because it gathers leaders and company representatives from the whole Continent.

Zulma Dinelli, international coordinator of AAPA, said that “This important summit is an opportunity to consider the big importance that Latin American ports play in the development of the region.” She also emphasized that the conference was a great opportunity to discuss the importance of ports in the region that are the main drivers of foreign trade of any nation, generating significant foreign currency and employment.

Held every year, AAPA Congress serves as one of the world’s most prestigious events related to ports industry.

A few more snaps from the event

The pivotal role of Latin American Ports in the integration of the hemisphere and regional development



Welcome reception and ribbon cutting of the exhibition area



Hugo Borelli, Chairman, AAPA Latin American Delegation



Annual AAPA Congress



Latin American Congress of Ports

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Dredge Yard on fuel saving solutions


Dredge Yard participated in the Western Dredging Association (WEDA) and Texas University’s Dredging Summit and Expo 2014 that took place at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Canada.
Article from World Dredging Magazine
 The participants of the event were mostly leading organizations in dredging and port industry, maritime professionals and experts on environmental issues that exchanged the knowledge in fields related to dredging, marine engineering and environment.

Dredge Yard’s representatives were Basel Yousef, the CEO and Iulia Berchiu, the Marketing Manager of the company. 

“Expanding the dredging world” was the theme for the event in which Basel Yousef has covered the “Fuel Saving Solutions” topic that is one of the most debated subject among all the industries.

“We highlight the problems and solutions about a major component that has been used for the dredgers for the past 30 years without making any change for improving its effiency and safety in operations.”, said Iulia Berchiu.

Dredge Yard presented two solutions for solving major problems, one of them being the inflexibility of the dredge ball joint and the other one being the blockage of the flow.

To solve the inflexibility of the ball joint that occurs due to the rustweld that follows after rusty surfaces, Dredge Yard presented a new design called bearing ball joint. This dredge component is featured with additional bearing liners allowing the ball joint to move easier and to have less friction against tilting moments.

For the blockage of the flow that is created by the ball joint when it is tilted up to its maximum bend angle, Dredge Yard presented a new design having a concave ball liner that allows the mixture to flow easier and have no blockage. Blockage of the mixture results in local increase of flow speed that has a positive effect in pressure drop.

Dredge Yard: Dredge Yard expansion

Dredge Yard: Dredge Yard expansion: Dredge Yard has recently invested in additional new machines in its workshop in Turkey including CNC vertical lathes and a CNC Pattern M...

Dredge Yard expansion

Dredge Yard has recently invested in additional new machines in its workshop in Turkey including CNC vertical lathes and a CNC Pattern Maker in order to increase its capacity in the machining and assembly shop to bring these functions up to the capacity of the casting and fettling shops.

Dredge Yard Makina in Turkey
 
Dredge Yard's subsidiary in Izmit, Turkey is focusing on production of components and equipment needed for the dredging and mining industries. Some of the main components supplied from Dredge Yard at Makina are dredge pumps, dredge ball joints, turning glands, swivel bends, dredge valves, tumbler blocks and cutter heads.

Dredge Yard is also co-operating with many new partners in the region for the casting and machining in order to cope with the demand for the company’s products.

Dredge Ball Joint in Dredge Yard Makina
The company is able to supply components in multiple materials that can be used in dredge pumps, ball joints, bends and many others. Components are cast with Dredge Yard’s partners and fettling is done in the facility in Izmit.
Once the machining is done, all products are thoroughly tested, inspected and assembled at Dredge Yard work shop and made ready for transport.

The recent capacity increase will allow Dredge Yard to make its own casting patterns and machine more parts up to 2.5 meters in-house and shorten the delivery time and save transport costs.

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Interview with Dredge Yard Marketing Manager

Maritime&Ports is bringing an interview with Iulia Berchiu,Dredge Yard's Marketing Manager speaking about the challenges she faces as a woman working in a male dominated industry.

Read more http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?eid=5d77216f-af75-43be-9425-5245bf43316b&pnum=42
  

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Dredge Yard's completed an order for large dredge valves

Dredge Valves in Dredge Yard's facilities in Turkey
Michel Debo, Dredge Yard's production manager, told Maritime Journal: "All order contracts are of a great importance to Dredge Yard, however this contract is very special to us because it allowed us to manufacture the biggest valves that we have ever produced. We've gained more experience and knowledge by working with Van Oord on this project." 





A number of large-sized dredge valves, with an inner diameter of 1,100mm and 1,600mm, have been delivered to the company. They will be used to control the flow of water and sand in the discharge pipes from the trailing suction hopper dredgers that are currently operating as part of a new project. 

To ensure high quality, all the dredge valves underwent thorough tests under 12 bars, and were inspected by Van Oord representatives during and after production.

The valves were produced in Dredge Yard’s facilities in Turkey by using the latest production technologies and because of their large dimensions, special arrangements were made for transportation.
Dredge Yard has already delivered several large dredge components to Van Oord including pump parts, wire sheaves, several type of valves, dredge pipe pieces and ball joints.

The testing of the
Dredge Valves 
The company has sites in several countries and is dedicated to the engineering, consulting and production of cutter suction dredgers, trailing suction hopper dredgers, mining equipment and dredging components needed for dredgers and dredge pipe lines. 

Sunday, May 11, 2014

EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Dredge Yard CEO

Basel Yousef
Over the years Dredge Yard has proven itself as a reliable supplier of many dredge and mining components to many dredge contractors and mining operators world wide.
Hereby we are bringing you an exclusive interview with Mr. Basel Yousef, the Dredge Yard CEO, who provided us with invaluable insight into the Dredge Yard’s business plans.

What can you tell us about the company’s 2013 business results, reached goals, accomplished tasks?
In terms of deliveries, we have accomplished the delivery of a big order of ball joints for MEDCO in Qatar, dredge valves for Van Oord, dredge pumps and other components needed for the dredgers for several dredging companies.
In regard to the market, I can mention the successful Europort exhibition that gave us the opportunity to meet our existing and new customers followed by a good feedback from the market.
For engineering, we improved the design of the CSD, we increased our production and engineering capacity by adding more machines and employing more engineers.

How was 2014 so far for Dredge Yard?
So far 2014 has been a very good year, we are ahead of schedule in terms of turnover, the demand is higher for Dredge Yard’s products and the production capacity is increasing by ordering 3 more machines for our facilities in Turkey. In our office in the UAE, we are in the process of recruiting naval architects and more engineers for design, production and quality control.
We have participated in the Forum of Dredging Companies that was held in Moscow, Russia. The forum
Forum of Dredging Companies, Moscow with Iulia Berchiu, 
Dredge Yard's Marketing Manager
hosted over 100 participants, including most of the leading organizations in dredging industry, port and local authorities.
Dredge Yard had the opportunity to present a variety of solutions developed for the coupling systems that can enhance the productivity and lowering fuel consumption.

What are your plans for the rest of 2014?
We are currently engaged in optimizing our dredge pump design together with our development and production partners to increase the efficiency and to lower the cost price.
We also go further with the development of Dredge Yard’s greaseless ball joint to make it environmentally friendly, achieve higher safety and lower operation costs.
We are in the process of delivering several big orders for Cross Over Ball Joints that have been recently developed by Dredge Yard.
It is also part of our plan for 2014 to increase the capacity of our office in The Netherlands that is responsible for the engineering, development and sales.
Further we will participate in 3 important conferences and exhibitions in North and South America.

In April you delivered big sized dredge valves to Van Oord. Can you tell us something more about your cooperation with Van Oord?
We appreciate our cooperation with Van Oord being one of the biggest and most developed companies in the world and their trust in our cooperation is growing as seen from the increased order amount.
Such a customer is of a great importance to Dredge Yard because we are continuously learning from them in order to increase our engineering and production skills.

Also could you provide more information about dredge pumps development?
Dredge Yard is working on the development of the dredge pump line using the hydraulic design, the expertise of its partners, two engineering giants, Simerics and Hyperworks.
Dredge Yard will use the simulation technologies to improve design efficiency, wear performance, to reduce physical testing costs and time that have always been the biggest engineering challenge in dredging industry.
The production of the pumps is done in Dredge Yard’s facilities in Turkey along with its partners. At the moment we are able to offer our clients dredge pumps in a range from 300mm to 1400mm in single and double wall types.
Dredge Valves in Dredge Yard's
facilities in Turkey

Which markets are currently in the focus of Dredge Yard, and do you have plans to expand your business areas?
In the past couple of years we have been active in the dredging market, manly in Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent. We
aim for the expansion of the business in North and South America.
From the product side our focus will expand on the mining industry that is close to the dredging industry, being related to the transportation of sand, mud and slurry.

What can you tell us about the Dredge Yard’s current projects?
2014 has been a strong year for Dredge Yard. Currently we are producing several dredge components, as cross over ball joints, bow couplings, valves, pumps and some other spare parts needed for the dredgers.
One of the interesting projects is the replacement of the dredge pump of an existing TSHD in Bahrain. Dredge Yard’s team visited the dredger and took all the measurements and discussed customer’s specifications. After the visit the engineers made a new design for the dredge pump in order to improve the efficiency and life time of the dredge pump.
Dredge Yard's Ball Joints
This dredge pump will be installed soon and Dredge Yard will test the performance on the dredger.
Further I can mention that Dredge Yard is in the process of negotiating new contracts for Cutter Suction Dredgers.

About Basel Yousef
Basel Yousef is the CEO and founder of Dredge Yard in The Netherlands, UAE and Turkey. The company Dredge Yard is specialized in engineering and delivery of dredgers, dredge and mining equipment worldwide.
He has graduated Dutch Technical University in Delft and he has completed his bachelor degree in Mechanical and Aeronautical engineering. After couple of years of work experience, he accomplished his Master Business Administration at American University in Dubai specializing in International Marketing.
Immediately after university graduation, Basel Yousef joined Vosta in Amsterdam, The Netherlands as System Calculation Engineer for dredge pumps and dredge systems and soon after that he got promoted to Product Manager of suction and discharge systems. After 4 years with the same company, Basel Yousef was appointed Area Manager China, responsible for the sales and production in China for the coming 3 years. Last challenge at the same company was the establishment of a subsidiary in UAE and taking care of the related business as General Manager.
After he left Vosta, he established Dredge Yard with the help of an enthusiastic experienced team in The Netherlands, UAE and Turkey.
Some of recent Basel Yousef accomplishments are:
- Patent of Bearing Ball Joint: a ball joint that has less friction when put in movement saving more fuel and making the discharge pipe more flexible;
- Patent of Rubber/Steel Hose: A combination of rubber and steel rings for the use in suction and discharge pipe minimizing the pipe flow resistant and maximizing the life time of the hose;
- Patent of a System and Method for predicting, monitoring, preventing and controlling algae in open water;
- Set up and operate of Production and Testing facility for dredge components like testing of several dredge and water ball joint in Turkey.


For more info visit www.dredgeyard.com

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Dredge Yard and HyperWorks co-operate for the design and engineering of dredge and mining pumps


Dredge Yard, a company dedicated to engineering, consulting and production of dredgers, dredging and mining equipment and technology and Altair HyperWorks, market leader in engineering, simulation and software of fluid dynamics, have teamed up on the design, calculation and simulation of dredge and mining pumps and dredge installations.


HyperWorks has extensive knowledge and skills in engineering, simulation, and software packages and is capable of calculating and simulating different types of pumps and fluid installations to the finest details, while Dredge Yard has the knowledge and practical experience in dredge and mining pumps.
 

Dredge Yard will be using the technology of Altair HyperWorks for the design, simulation and calculation of dredge and mining pumps. Altair HyperWorks will train several engineers from Dredge Yard in its facilities in USA and India.
 

This will allow Dredge Yard’s engineers to make best-in-class modeling, analysis, visualization and data management solutions for linear, nonlinear, structural optimization, fluid-structure interaction, and multi-body dynamics applications.

Dredge Yard will use the simulation technologies to improve design efficiency, wear performance, to reduce physical testing costs and time that have always been the biggest engineers’ challenges in Dredging Industry.
For more info visit Dredge Yard

Iulia Berchiu