IHC Systems is market leader in the area of process monitoring, control, automation, simulation and the integration of dredging, nautical and hydrographical tasks on board of dredgers.

As dredging is a capital-intensive and environment-influencing activity, specifications for dredging contracts increasingly grow demanding. Dredging contractors subsequently employ advanced instrumentation and automation systems on board and onshore. These investments considerably improve the efficiency of the dredging fleet, with achievable production enhancements of 15-25%. Accuracy of dredging has also improved considerably, enabling to encounter the stringent specification requirements of dredging contracts.

Such ‘Efficient Dredging’, which is IHC Systems’ mission, passion and objective, daily keeps busy more than 100 highly motivated and dedicated staff members.

Technological developments
Dredger production against the lowest costs per cubic meter, expressed in money and in environmental impact terms is another way to define Efficient Dredging. This increasingly is the driving force behind our technological developments.

Less technical information, more process and diagnostic information, the availability of the dredge installation is the difference between profit and loss: avoiding downtime, providing crewmembers not only indications of malfunctions in the installation(s) but also the reasons for malfunction and even model-based predictions. This approach increases dredger-availability and therefore production of the dredger.

It resulted among others in an updated Automatic Cutter Controller (ACC): automation which controls the dredger’s movement, the pump process, and speed and position of the cutter head. D’ARTAGNAN was the first dredger to receive this updated automation.

Based on experiences with the application of Artificial Intelligence, it is our vision that further research in this field will provide pleasant surprises for future dredging.

Presentation over the World Wide Web is becoming a common way of presenting data on vessels’ performance. It allows service capabilities and advice at distance, regardless of the ship’s actual position.

On increasing demand for dredging, more and more crew will be trained continually. IHC Systems’ well-skilled workforce is fully able to build and refine simulators for any possible dredger application. Very supportive outside views from any perspective will receive attention in our continuous development efforts. It is our objective that trainees leave our simulators fully competent to do the real thing.

For long years IHC Systems is actively cooperating with colleagues, competitors, clients, contractors, the maritime cluster in short. This way of operation allowed us to develop the one man-operated bridge – with sincere thanks to all concerned partners. This mode of operation allows us to substantially support the Life Cycle Support strategy of IHC Merwede, and it will allow us to find unique solutions in the future.

© 2008 IHC Systems B.V.