Dredging and the environment: How Tiamat can support the dredging industry’s carbon reduction programmes

Traditional dredging methods in ports and harbours can be costly, inflexible and expensive.

In April 2023, Haven Dredging unveiled its hydrodynamic maintenance dredging solution, Tiamat. It was developed to reduce the environmental impact of maintenance dredging, whilst being able to significantly reduce the cost of the activity.

Tiamat offers port authorities and dredging companies a cleaner and greener method of maintenance dredging, that is easy to deploy, adaptable and at a lower cost. It is marketed and sold through Haven Dredging – a wholly owned subsidiary of Harwich Haven Authority in Essex, UK.

Jim Warner, Tiamat’s inventor and Construction and Dredging Manager at Harwich Haven Authority, explains how the environmentally-conscious technology can help the dredging industry reduce its carbon footprint in the marine environment, specifically for ports and harbours.

In this video, Tiamat – Dredging with Nature, Jim discusses the role and issues that Tiamat is overcoming.

He says, “One of the key roles of the Harwich Haven Authority is conservancy. Because of the size of the ships which come into the port of Felixstowe, we have a deep water channel, and because of that, the area silts up. Normally the way we dredge here is to get a large ship. It lowers a pipe into the silt, sucks it up into the hold of the vessel, and then we take it out to sea and dispose of it, putting it back where it came from.

“This is a new way of removing the silt, which is working in nature and working with nature, rather than using large ships in the old-fashioned way.

“Tiamat works by using two pumps to injects water into the silt above the bed of the harbour to dilute it. A third, large suction pump then sucks up the dilute material and pushes it up a pipe into the upper levels of the water column, where the tide can disperse it through the back into the water column, naturally.”

Over the last few years, Harwich Haven has been trialling and testing Tiamat, with great success! Jim comments, “Our CO2 footprint is hugely reduced, the sediment monitors are not picking up any huge differences, so we’re not stirring up a huge cloud which would be causing any problems, and the surveys all show that the silt is leaving the area and is staying away, so it’s safe for shipping.”

Tiamat can be towed behind a small workboat or multi-cat with an ‘A’-frame between 25-27 meters. And, by using a non-invasive method of sediment redistribution in the marine environment, Tiamat harnesses the natural movement of the sediment into the water column in ports and harbours. This shortens the dredging process over traditional methods, because there is no need to be transported to a disposal site as sediment is being redistributed naturally.

Tiamat also supports the ecology of mud flats, as there is no need for invasive “beneficial placement” of sediment that can disrupt wildlife. The marine life and environment in and around the dredging zone will also be less impacted, because Tiamat shortens the dredging process, encouraging the sediment to disperse naturally in the marine environment, rather than locating it somewhere else.

In comparison, Trailing Suction Hopper Dredgers (TSHD) pump sediment into a large hopper on the vessel and travel back and forth to disposal sites, often several times a day. Tiamat has no such need, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%, resulting in considerable savings for the planet. With no travel to dispersal sites, traffic, noise and pollution are also lessened.

This innovative and environmentally-conscious technology can also bring major financial savings as dredging businesses can cut costs by up to 40% compared with traditional dredging methods.

With many governments and businesses looking to work towards net-zero carbon emissions and other carbon reduction programmes, using Tiamat’s technology is redefining the industry, helping to future proof the planet and the bottom line.

To find out more about how Tiamat can support the dredging industry’s carbon reduction programmes, visit www.havendredging.com/tiamat.

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Questions?

Whether you have a question or are ready to start your project, the Haven Dredging team is happy to help. Get in touch and we will support you with the best solution for your project.

Contact us

Dredging and the environment: How Tiamat can support the dredging industry’s carbon reduction programmes

Traditional dredging methods in ports and harbours can be costly, inflexible and expensive.

In April 2023, Haven Dredging unveiled its hydrodynamic maintenance dredging solution, Tiamat. It was developed to reduce the environmental impact of maintenance dredging, whilst being able to significantly reduce the cost of the activity.

Tiamat offers port authorities and dredging companies a cleaner and greener method of maintenance dredging, that is easy to deploy, adaptable and at a lower cost. It is marketed and sold through Haven Dredging – a wholly owned subsidiary of Harwich Haven Authority in Essex, UK.

Jim Warner, Tiamat’s inventor and Construction and Dredging Manager at Harwich Haven Authority, explains how the environmentally-conscious technology can help the dredging industry reduce its carbon footprint in the marine environment, specifically for ports and harbours.

In this video, Tiamat – Dredging with Nature, Jim discusses the role and issues that Tiamat is overcoming.

He says, “One of the key roles of the Harwich Haven Authority is conservancy. Because of the size of the ships which come into the port of Felixstowe, we have a deep water channel, and because of that, the area silts up. Normally the way we dredge here is to get a large ship. It lowers a pipe into the silt, sucks it up into the hold of the vessel, and then we take it out to sea and dispose of it, putting it back where it came from.

“This is a new way of removing the silt, which is working in nature and working with nature, rather than using large ships in the old-fashioned way.

“Tiamat works by using two pumps to injects water into the silt above the bed of the harbour to dilute it. A third, large suction pump then sucks up the dilute material and pushes it up a pipe into the upper levels of the water column, where the tide can disperse it through the back into the water column, naturally.”

Over the last few years, Harwich Haven has been trialling and testing Tiamat, with great success! Jim comments, “Our CO2 footprint is hugely reduced, the sediment monitors are not picking up any huge differences, so we’re not stirring up a huge cloud which would be causing any problems, and the surveys all show that the silt is leaving the area and is staying away, so it’s safe for shipping.”

Tiamat can be towed behind a small workboat or multi-cat with an ‘A’-frame between 25-27 meters. And, by using a non-invasive method of sediment redistribution in the marine environment, Tiamat harnesses the natural movement of the sediment into the water column in ports and harbours. This shortens the dredging process over traditional methods, because there is no need to be transported to a disposal site as sediment is being redistributed naturally.

Tiamat also supports the ecology of mud flats, as there is no need for invasive “beneficial placement” of sediment that can disrupt wildlife. The marine life and environment in and around the dredging zone will also be less impacted, because Tiamat shortens the dredging process, encouraging the sediment to disperse naturally in the marine environment, rather than locating it somewhere else.

In comparison, Trailing Suction Hopper Dredgers (TSHD) pump sediment into a large hopper on the vessel and travel back and forth to disposal sites, often several times a day. Tiamat has no such need, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%, resulting in considerable savings for the planet. With no travel to dispersal sites, traffic, noise and pollution are also lessened.

This innovative and environmentally-conscious technology can also bring major financial savings as dredging businesses can cut costs by up to 40% compared with traditional dredging methods.

With many governments and businesses looking to work towards net-zero carbon emissions and other carbon reduction programmes, using Tiamat’s technology is redefining the industry, helping to future proof the planet and the bottom line.

To find out more about how Tiamat can support the dredging industry’s carbon reduction programmes, visit www.havendredging.com/tiamat.

Back

Questions?

Whether you have a question or are ready to start your project, the Haven Dredging team is happy to help. Get in touch and we will support you with the best solution for your project.

Contact us