Congo River

Successful launch ceremony for CONGO RIVER

The launch ceremony for the 30,000m³ trailing suction hopper dredger CONGO RIVER took
place on 21 January 2011 at the IHC Merwede shipyard in Krimpen aan den IJssel,
The Netherlands. IHC Merwede is building the impressive ship for the DEME Group and the
CONGO RIVER is one of the largest ships in the fleet.

The contract for the design, construction and delivery of the vessel was signed between DEME
NV and IHC Dredgers BV in December 2008 and the keel was laid a year later on 15 December
2009. The vessel will be commissioned mid-2011. The name CONGO RIVER is in line with the
tradition of DEME NV to name some of its large ships after the world’s great rivers.

The CONGO RIVER is an innovative and versatile vessel, which has excellent manoeuvrability
and is also multifunctional because of its limited length-to-width ratio. With a relatively low
draught when fully loaded, the dredger will be able to manoeuvre easily in shallow waters. This
makes the CONGO RIVER suitable for working in ports as well as for long-distance sand
transportation. With this vessel, DEME expands its fleet of highly competitive ships, which
began with the Pallieter-class and Brabo-class. Fitted with a deep suction dredging installation,
the CONGO RIVER can dredge to depths greater than 100 metres. It also features a one-man
bridge operation.
 www.deme.be/video/congo_river_presentation.html