The Marine Group commissions water injection dredger

The Marine Group’s harbour management division has expanded its dredging capabilities with the recent completion of its bespoke built water injection dredger, CMS Seaka.

The company, which owns four coastal marinas, is seeking to evolve and develop Burry Port Marina and take it ‘from a forgotten sailing destination back to its rightful status as the jewel of the Carmarthenshire coast’ and is using CMS Seaka to accelerate the process of water injection dredging developing channels and berths.

Following the successful deployment of CMS Innovation which used the same water injection technology, The Marine Group purchased CMS Seaka as a Multicat in 2018, which was then redesigned by OSD-IMT and modified by the original builders, GRA ltd and the company’s in-house team of engineers, Cardiff Diesel Services.

The new design allows the team to dredge more efficiently and in higher volumes than previous operations. While Seaka is powered by a Doosan V158TI engine, the vessel also houses a Sulzer A53-200 pump capable of pumping water at a rate of up to 330L per second. The 5m boom holds 27 outlets that have been oriented to provide maximum efficiency, dredging up to 450m3/hr.

While not working on The Marine Group’s marinas around Wales, Seaka will be able to provide cost effective solutions for dredging to customers all over the country. Seaka, measuring 10m in length and 4.8 m across the beam, is transported to site via road in one piece, allowing the team to start work within 30 minutes of being in the water. The size of Seaka will allow marinas and ports to remain fully operational while dredging is undertaken.

The company says that because it reaches a maximum depth of 8.5m, Seaka will be the one of the most efficient water injection dredgers in the country, ideal for smaller ports where traditional dredging is uneconomic.