The naming and launching ceremony for the 5,000m³ gravel trailer VICTOR HORTA took place on 15 December 2010 at the Verenigde Scheepswerf Heusden shipyard in Heusden, The Netherlands. IHC Merwede is building the ship for DEME Building Materials, part of the DEME Group (Dredging, Environmental and Marine Engineering NV). The ceremony was performed by Mrs Rachel Brett, the wife of Mr Bill Brett, Chairman of the Brett Group, the largest independent UK-based construction and building materials company.
The contract for the design, construction and delivery of the vessel was signed on 16 May 2008 between DEME NV and IHC Dredgers BV. The keel was laid on 19 March 2010. The vessel is named after one of Belgium’s famous architects and pioneer of the Art Nouveau style. Victor Horta (1861-1947) designed several notable buildings, such as Hotel Tassel in Brussels, the first significant expression of Art Nouveau in architecture at the end of the 19th century. The commissioning of the new gravel trailer is expected to take place in 2011.