PRESS RELEASE

Remote marine hydraulic excavator for offshore applications

11 February 2010 - Jan De Nul Group takes the next step in the development of hydraulic excavators that can be used in shallow to medium-deep coastal waters.

Within a period of only 4 years the in-house Technical Department developed a remote controlled underwater excavator starting from a standard type basic excavator.

Development, engineering and operations started with the elevated hydraulic excavator by tube (up to -3 m), then the marine hydraulic scissor lift excavator (up to -4.6 m) and the modulated system (up to -7 m). Now, Jan De Nul Group is testing a remote controlled excavator at depths up to -30 m. The basic excavator itself weighs 150 tons.

This week the first underwater tests were executed in the Kluizendok.
The adjusted excavator is a masterpiece of cooperation between Jan De Nul’s survey department and technical workshop who brought together the sonar system, the GPS-total station and the micro-digger to perform works under water with an accuracy of about 10 cm.

Some data

Basic excavator	130 tons
Boom	(9 + 5.8) m
Bucket	6 m³
Max digging radius (from seabed)	-360°
Max digging depth (from seabed)	10.4 m
Digging force	550 kN
Transport configuration	16 x 5.5 x 5.7 m
Additional equipment	hydraulic hammer and scissor function

Jan De Nul Group
People and vessels. In a nutshell, that is the driving force behind Jan De Nul Group. Thanks to the approximately 5,000 employees and the ultramodern fleet on which they are deployed, today the group ranks at the top of the international dredging and marine related industry. That is exactly what Jan De Nul Group is well-known for. More and more, Jan De Nul Group is also specializing in services for the offshore oil and gas industry, with purpose-built equipment.
Also with regard to civil engineering, the group is one of the largest contractors in Belgium. Furthermore, Jan De Nul Group has a separate environmental division, Envisan, which specializes in soil remediation, groundwater redevelopment and cleaning and protection.
Thanks to the supporting services of the dredging, civil and environmental division, Jan De Nul Group is able to perform large-scale projects to our clients’ satisfaction, whether this concerns a Palm Island in Dubai, a new port facility in Australia or the largest wastewater treatment plant in Europe, as in Brussels, Jan De Nul Group can offer an integrated solution.