New Conver C86xs inaugurated in Jakarta

Published on: 02-02-2009
After months of designing and construction, the new smaller Silt Pushing boat C86xs was put into first service just before Christmas. During a one day test on an actual dredging site, the new unit proved to be ready for an official launch. The new unit was developed for dredging small canals for which its brother C86s is too big.

At a little less than 3 tonnes the completely new C86xs is, in comparison to the 5 tonne weighing C86s, considerably lighter but also shorter and narrower. Launch and recovery of the unit will be therefore a lot easier, especially on urban dredging sites with limited accessibility and space. The heart of the machine still is the pair of winches with automatic spooling system, albeit with 150m drum capacity.

After the test, the new silt pusher was prepared for transport with destination Jakarta, Indonesia. In november 2008 a bigger C86s was already put on transport with the same destination. Both machines were supplied for the “Jakarta Pilot Dredging Project”.

This project, financed by the Dutch “Partners for Water / EVD” and the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta, has the objective to share Dutch knowledge of small scale urban dredging with the Indonesian authorities. In november, Dutch contractor “Dosco Baggerwerken” under supervision of DHV started dredging, initially with their one equipment. During an official ceremony in Jakarta on 20 january, Secretary of State Mrs. Tineke Huizinga officially handed over the two Conver Silt pushers to the Indonesian authorities.

Since then, both machines are used daily to clean the canals of Jakarta, where conditions are very different from the Dutch canals; the many very low bridges, the high ambient temperature and humidity, dwellings that are built into the water and the large amounts of household waste and trash that is present in the sediments. Approximately 40% of the volume of silt consists of trash, in all shapes and forms. For that reason the project will be extended early february with the installation of a mobile waste separator.

To remedy the recurring Jakarta floodings, a lot of dredging will have to be done the next couple of years. The Conver Silt Pushers are ready to go.

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