Backacter 1100 dipper dredger is purpose-designed for its task

By: Rondo Docille

 

The Backacter 1100 is purpose-designed for the marine environment.

In the past dipper dredges have often been designed with machinery originally designed to work in a terrestrial environment. However, in designing Jan de Nul's Backacter 1100, Shipyard De Donge in The Netherlands designed and built a powerful machine perfectly suited to the marine environment.
An important feature of the design of the Backacter 1100 for the marine environment is the placement of the hydraulic pump engines in the vessel’s hull. In addition to keeping the engines away from salt water, the fuel tanks are also located in the barge’s 65m by 20m by 4m hull.
As a result it is not necessary to stop the machine while fueling tanks located on the machine, as is the case with terrestrial backhoes mounted on barges. Designing the dipper as an integral part of the barge allows the barge spuds to be operated from the digger’s cabin. Operator fatigue is reduced by a shock-absorbing elastic foundation, integrated in the dredgers’ deck.

Without needing to stop for refueling or to ease an aching back, the operator of this innovative dredger can be more productive. De Donge cautions that productivity predictions can be influenced by factors such as resistance of the bottom, barge availability and operator experience. At the same time they estimate that the type 1100 Donge Backacter working at 20m can dredge 810m3 per hour and at 17m depth this can increase to about 1,012m3/hr.
At the heart of this productivity is a pair of highly reliable IMO compliant V-16 1,900kW (2,547hp) at 1,800 rpm Cummins QSK60-(D)M diesels. The engines turn eight Rexroth double variable displacement axial piston pumps through water-cooled gears.
The dredge is classed by Bureau Veritas and is capable of working in seas up to 2.5m wave heights.