After the delivery last November of the multiservice barge SEEM 14-120ST « Richelieu », Merré shipyard has just delivered the stationary dredger SEEM 16-640ST « Milady », this vessel is intended for the Industrial Services of Geneva owner.

Following the completion of the various start-up tests of all hydraulic systems, the vessel was taken out of the water and disassembled, which is provided for in its design.
The various elements were transported by trucks to Switzerland.
Designed for this thousand kilometers road trip, the SEEM 14-120ST « Richelieu » multifunction barge left Nort-sur-Erdre at the end of November and was shipped in two blocks.

The Richelieu and Milady will operate on the Rhone river, between Geneva and the site of Cheneviers, about ten kilometers downstream.

SEEM 16-640ST type, the suction dredger, designed by Merré design office, is 25.85 meters long and 6.40 meters wide, with a steel hull and an aluminum superstructure.

With a 80 tons displacement, she will be operated by two crew members. It will be able to extract about 50000 m3 of materials per year, with a maximum of 800 m3 of solid sediments per day.
The machine was sized to pump and reject 150 mm diameter material at a distance of 300 meters.
The concept of the stationary dredger SEEM 16-640ST allows its operation on different water bodies. It can also be transported by road to a different operating area as it is completely removable. This ability to be dismantled will therefore allow the machine to be eventually exploited in other sectors.

Without a propulsion system, the dredger will be moved by the Richelieu.
Launched last September by Merré shipyard, this multifunction barge of the SEEM 14-120ST type is the first part of the order of the Services Industriels de Genève.
Fitted with two engines of 448 kW each and two hydrojets, she is 14 meters long and 6.50 meters wide. Her hull is made of steel and its aluminum superstructure.
The Richelieu will be used to set up the dredger and position her on shallow and high current areas, while ensuring the displacement of the dredging pipes.
But it can also, thanks to its versatility and its equipment (including a crane from 1.7 t at 8 m), ensure other missions, such as maintenance work or transport equipment. Operated by two crew members and specially designed to sailon the Rhone, it can also serve as a pusher for conveying barges with a displacement of up to 330 t.