Research & Development

Introduction

Research and development is of strategic importance for IHC Merwede and so the company spends approximately 3% of its revenue to product development. This way IHC Merwede can continuously improve its vessels, products and systems in order to reach a performance that allows its clients to operate at the edge of competition.

Research & Development at IHC Dredgers has its context at the playing field of technology push and market pull. It is the strategy of IHC Dredgers to meticulously position R&D projects in between. We therefore carefully listen to - and collaborate with - both our clients and the many creative men and women within our premises. Important research themes for the coming years are the further improvement of dredging performance, optimisation of the hydrodynamic shape of our vessels as well as the exploration of new drive concepts. The underlying trends are for example sustainability, reduction of fuel and emissions and high-density dredging.

The R&D department of IHC Dredgers initiates and coordinates all R&D projects around trailing suction hopper dredgers and self-propelled cutter suction dredgers. In addition, the department supports the regular design and production processes with dedicated services such as FEM analyses, dynamic simulations, CFD analyses and torsion and vibration calculations.