Two Ellicott dredges were recently shipped to Bangladesh to continue supporting the country’s dredging efforts.
The Ellicott Series 2070 (20-inch/500 mm) Dragon® dredges will join dozens of other Ellicott 18-inch (450 mm) and 20-inch (500 mm) dredges currently involved in projects to keep rivers flowing and flood risks at bay.
Although the past year has seen a decrease in international trade across industry sectors and countries due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Bangladesh has continued importing dredges for its nationwide dredging efforts.
The country of Bangladesh is encompassed by the largest tide-dominated river delta in the world, fed by waterways originating in the Himalayan Mountains.
With a population of approximately 165 million, Bangladesh’s rivers are heavily relied upon as a mode of transportation for both people and goods.
However, only 60% of the country’s 8,700 km of navigable waterways are accessible during the dry season because of the constant inflow of sedimentation. Ellicott dredges are working to keep these waterways open and can be found operating in many of Bangladesh’s major rivers.
Nearly a third of Bangladesh sits less than 2 meters above sea level. As sea levels continue to rise, and sedimentation continues to fill already clogged waterways, the threat of flooding persists; another risk Bangladesh is working to mitigate with the use of dredgers.
The Series 2070 Dragon cutterhead dredge is the most modern 20” dredge design in the world that incorporates Ellicott’s world-renowned design techniques.
This portable dredge can be delivered by truck to inland locations and is capable of dredging up to 50′ (15 m) allowing the dredge to operate in major shipping channels.
The hull and deckhouse is designed to Bureau of Veritas (B.V.) Sheltered Water Rules and as such this dredge is suitable for a variety of applications including harbor dredging, river dredging, land reclamation, and sand mining projects.