Device for dredging soil material under water

• Main Authors: GABRIEL, JAN, HAGENAERS, GWYN, BROUNS, GERT, HEILER, JOHAN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 13.08.2015
• Subjects: EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING; LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; RELATED EQUIPMENT; SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; TRANSPORTING

The invention relates to a device for dumping material onto an underwater bottom or installation, such as a pipeline. The device comprises a vessel (1), provided with a fall pipe (7) through which the material is dumped on the underwater bottom; a steering device (5) adapted to control the motion of the fall pipe relative to the underwater bottom; first monitoring means (30) adapted to monitor the state of the underwater bottom; second monitoring means (32) adapted to monitor the position of the steering device relative to the bottom; and computing means adapted to compute, on the basis of data obtained from the first and/or the second monitoring means, control signals for moving the steering device. The invention also relates to a method for dumping material onto an underwater bottom or installation, using the invented device, and to a computer program comprising program instructions that when loaded into a computer carries out the method.