Muhler
Imperial Majesty
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2010
- Messages
- 16,890
- City
- Eastern Jutland
- Country
- Denmark
I did some reading up on what such a vessel is doing.
It's quite an important thing actually! Not least in the Netherlands which to a very large extent is a mix of a delta and huge areas that are dammed up.
In such a geography silting is big and constant issue.
So there is no chance Alexia's little sucker is going to have an idle life!
To put it simple: It's basically a big trawler that suck up silt and sand as it sails along. Instead of a net it trails a set of seriously powerful pumps over the seabed. A filter system prevents large objects from being sucked into the pumps, but if need be whatever large objects the pumps may encounter can be either bulldozed down or picked up.
Anyway, water is pumped overboard while the silt and sand and gravel is pumped into the hull to be off loaded somewhere else or used to fill up something inland.
The vessel basically "vacuum" a large area - and then it can start all over again. Because silt and sand is constantly brought along by the rivers and deposited on the Dutch coastline. - And that's how it's gonna by until the Rhine changes course or run dry, whatever. Which is unlikely to happen any millennium soon.
Not a particularly glamorous job, but for the Netherlands a pretty vital job. And if you are a crew member: Well, you pretty much got a job for life and can expect to be home every few days.
It's quite an important thing actually! Not least in the Netherlands which to a very large extent is a mix of a delta and huge areas that are dammed up.
In such a geography silting is big and constant issue.
So there is no chance Alexia's little sucker is going to have an idle life!
To put it simple: It's basically a big trawler that suck up silt and sand as it sails along. Instead of a net it trails a set of seriously powerful pumps over the seabed. A filter system prevents large objects from being sucked into the pumps, but if need be whatever large objects the pumps may encounter can be either bulldozed down or picked up.
Anyway, water is pumped overboard while the silt and sand and gravel is pumped into the hull to be off loaded somewhere else or used to fill up something inland.
The vessel basically "vacuum" a large area - and then it can start all over again. Because silt and sand is constantly brought along by the rivers and deposited on the Dutch coastline. - And that's how it's gonna by until the Rhine changes course or run dry, whatever. Which is unlikely to happen any millennium soon.
Not a particularly glamorous job, but for the Netherlands a pretty vital job. And if you are a crew member: Well, you pretty much got a job for life and can expect to be home every few days.