IBEX Australia recently had the privilege to work with Dutch dredging and heavylift giant Boskalis on the Magnor, the largest and most efficient backhoe dredger in the world. Completed in 2015, it can dredge to depths of 32m with the help of its 40m “legs” that sit at the bottom of the ocean. With 45m³ capacity in its largest bucket, it can easily fit a 20-foot container and then some. A notable improvement compared to its predecessors, are the huge improvements in terms of fuel consumption and, above all, noise reduction.
Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. is a leading global dredging and offshore contractor and maritime services provider. With roots in the Netherlands, Boskalis has been operating for over 100 years offering the widest range of expert dredging, offshore transport and installation solutions, as well as maritime services, including towage and salvage.
Traditionally, dredging has been Boskalis’ main activity. Services include the construction and maintenance of ports and waterways, land reclamation, coastal defense and riverbank protection. Boskalis employs over 10,000 employees and 900 ships, giving them one of the world’s largest dredging fleets. They operate in over 75 countries in six continents.
Backhoe dredgers are stationary dredgers with a hydraulic excavator installed on a pontoon. The backhoe dredgers can dredge a wide range of materials with accuracy, operating mainly in shallow and enclosed waters.
The backhoe dredger generally has three legs (known as "spuds") that sit at on the ocean floor for support, with a transport barge moored alongside the dredger. The bucket excavates soil in a combination of backward and upward movement of the boom, stick and bucket. When the bucket is full, the dredged material is discharged into the transport barge. The full barge transports the dredged material to a designated location.
Boskalis has around 18 of these vessels operating on projects all over the world, including the Magnor, the largest backhoe in the world.
Many of Boskalis’ backhoe dredgers have names that come from Norse mythology. Magnor means ‘The Fighter’. With a total installed power of 4,100 kW, the dredger’s bucket can lift 67,000 kilograms of dredged material. According to the construction team of the Magnor, backhoe dredgers specialise in hard ground dredging, especially when working with smaller volumes, and for dredging landfalls and trenches. Backhoe dredgers are also being used increasingly for environmental reasons because they minimise turbidity in water.
The Magnor has a BK 12700 DD Greenline excavator, based on the largest mining machine on the market today, the Caterpillar 6090. The name ‘Greenline’ means the machine has low fuel consumption and reduced emissions of harmful substances. Another highly effective innovation is the use of water cooling for the engines and hydraulics, significantly improving fuel consumption and emissions, and reducing noise levels.
Unlike other backhoes, the Magnor has accommodation for the specialised crew of eight. That makes it possible to deploy the Magnor on operations in even the most inhospitable regions. On this occasion, the Magnor finds itself parked on the shores of Port Melbourne, Victoria, after a long voyage, ready for an upgrade to its state-of-the-art cooling system.
“The project involves electrical modifications, level switches need to be connected, floor plates need to be arranged and water tanks need to be mounted. As you can see, we needed a piping system that was versatile enough to cater to the complexity of this project. That’s why we chose the Impress® press fit system. We can’t imagine how long it would take to weld it all together,” says Errol Ewen, Technical Superintendent.
Our Impress® 316L range offers a high quality single sided press fit system. With high strength pressure ratings of up to 40 bar and a size range from 15mm-168mm.
This makes it perfect for offshore applications such as the Magnor.
"… we needed a piping system that was versatile enough to cater to the complexity of this project. Which is why we chose the Impress® press fit system. We can’t imagine how long it would take to weld it all together…”
Errol Ewen
Technical Superintendent, Boskalis
Boskalis: Magnor Backhoe Dredger.
Melbourne, Australia.
Installation of Impress® 316L Stainless Steel Press Fit system inside the world’s largest backhoe dredger.
Upgrade to water cooling system supporting engine and hydraulics.
Supplied intelligent piping solution Impress® 316L Stainless Steel Press Fit providing significant labour cost and time savings.
Impress® 316L High Quality Stainless Steel Press Fit System 76mm and 108mm.
Our Impress® 316L range offers a high quality single sided press fit system. With high strength pressure ratings of up to 40 bar and a size range from 15mm-168mm.
To speak to one of our experts about this case study, call us on 1300 85 45 20
