Paul Brown, General Manager Port Operations at the Port of Dover said: "The David Church was specifically designed for operating in the Port of Dover and has been doing a vital job for 17 years now. This unique resource is essential in maintaining the depths of navigable water within the harbour so that all vessels can navigate safely without the risk of grounding. This dredging regime is particularly important to Dover's cruise business as every year the fairway is dredged to cater for the deep draft cruise ships that call at the Port."
The David Church and its dedicated crew of five form a key part of the Port's marine capability. This versatile vessel, built in 1995 by Appledore Ship Builders, has the exceptional ability to both suction and grab dredge as well as being capable of working both in tight confines and within an extremely busy operational environment.
The project focused on renewing and upgrading all cargo equipment including dredge pipe, drag head, hydraulics, winches, discharge doors and crane right down to the nuts, bolts and windscreen wipers. The majority of the refit works were completed by Smalls Shipyard of Lowestoft over a 3-week docking period. The refurbishment of the crane was completed by the original manufacturer Pulleman (PLM) based in Holland. The crane is a Pulleman PLM 50 which is dual purpose as it is also fully certified as a lifting crane up to a maximum load of 15 tons at a radius of 6 metres. This makes the vessel extremely versatile as she is often utilised in transporting equipment to the Port's breakwaters. In addition she also has a computer controlled safe working load system to prevent accidental overload.
Other essential works included upgrades to the crew facilities, a complete overhaul of the crane engine, dredging software and navigation equipment and a fresh new coat of paint.
Paul Brown added: "If no dredging was undertaken for a prolonged period of time the harbour would eventually silt up and close to commercial shipping. As a responsible port authority, we are making a major investment now in order to ensure continued access to the harbour for all users, leisure or business craft for many years to come."
