Location
Netherlands / Europe
Project record
Boskalis SEAWAY 31,000 m³ TSHD
Boskalis ordered the 31,000 m³ trailing suction hopper dredger SEAWAY from Royal IHC in October 2023 and launched the vessel at Krimpen aan den IJssel on 3 October 2025. Boskalis still described construction as ongoing in its 5 March 2026 results. Royal IHC then reported that SEAWAY was handed over to Boskalis on 20 July 2026 after a successful sea trial, closing the public shipbuilding and delivery sequence. A first project, operating fuel and measured dredging, discharge, fuel, emissions and reliability results have not been published.
Segment
Dredging
Status
Delivered 20 July 2026; deployment unpublished / Confirmed
Last checked
14 August 2026
Coverage
Related sectors
Dredging is the primary work classification. Related sectors connect this record to adjacent marine delivery and market coverage.
Subject index
Related subjects
These subject pages bring together related projects, technical articles, reports, and evidence methods.
Project anatomy
Contract scope and delivery roles
- Client / authority
- Boskalis
- Delivery parties
- Royal IHC
- Contract route
- Contractor-funded custom fleet investment. Royal IHC and Boskalis signed a letter of intent on 5 June 2023 after a co-design and engineering phase, and Boskalis announced the construction contract on 27 October 2023. Boskalis' 2025 results report EUR 564 million of group property, plant, and equipment investment and EUR 237 million of year-end capital commitments relating predominantly to completion of SEAWAY, Windpiper, and four Smit Lamnalco vessels; those aggregate figures do not disclose a SEAWAY contract value.
- Execution window
- The 2023 owner and shipyard releases expected delivery or service entry in mid-2026. SEAWAY was named and launched on 3 October 2025, remained under construction in Boskalis' 5 March 2026 results and was handed over on 20 July 2026 after what Royal IHC describes as a successful sea trial. The delivery announcement does not publish the trial programme, class or flag particulars, first commercial mobilisation or first project.
- Works package
- One 178-metre-long, 38-metre-wide TSHD with a 31,000 m³ hopper, two trailing suction pipes with underwater pumps, two discharge pumps with a combined 15,000 kW, full diesel-electric installation, Azipods propulsion, an optimised hull, and advanced automation. Boskalis says the dual-fuel main engines, methanol plant, and storage tanks prepare the vessel to use biodiesel or methanol as alternatives to conventional fuel. The sources do not prove which fuel will be used at entry into service or publish achieved fuel, emissions, production, or discharge performance.
- Marine interfaces
- The vessel is designed for high-volume dredging, long sailing distances and long-distance pump-ashore discharge to reclamation sites. The 20 July handover confirms delivery to Boskalis after sea trial, but project readiness still depends on crew deployment, project-specific equipment configuration, bunkering and fuel selection, mobilisation and the operating limits required by the first assignment.
- Commercial evidence boundary
- Royal IHC delivered SEAWAY within the mid-2026 period stated at order and launch. The unresolved commercial questions are its first deployment, supported material and discharge envelope, operating-fuel baseline, utilisation and whether measured productivity and emissions support the design claims.
Project timeline
Material developments
Dated events that changed scope, counterparties, delivery, commissioning or operating status.
Open this project in the Change LogSEAWAY delivered to Boskalis
The shipyard's dated delivery record closes the construction and handover sequence. The record omits the first project, operating fuel and measured production and environmental performance.
SourceBoskalis still reported SEAWAY under construction
The owner identified SEAWAY as one of its largest 2025 investments and said year-end capital commitments related predominantly to its completion and other named fleet investments. This is a current construction and capital-completion signal, not delivery or service entry.
SourceSEAWAY was christened and launched at Royal IHC
The physical launch closed the hull-launch gate and exposed the named vessel, but Royal IHC explicitly placed final outfitting and extensive testing afterward and retained a future mid-2026 service-entry expectation.
SourceBoskalis converted the design phase into a construction contract
The owner confirmed Royal IHC, a 31,000 m³ hopper, the dredging and discharge arrangement, propulsion and fuel-preparation concept, build location, and intended mid-2026 service entry. The announcement did not disclose contract value or acceptance terms.
SourceRoyal IHC and Boskalis signed the construction letter of intent
The letter of intent followed joint design and engineering and established the intended 31,000 m³ custom-build route at Krimpen aan den IJssel. It preceded the later construction contract and was not itself delivery evidence.
SourceEvidence gap
What remains unverified
Outstanding evidence
- First named overseas deployment and mobilisation date
- Boskalis fleet listing, classification and flag particulars
- Published scope and results of dredging and discharge trials
- Operating fuel, methanol bunkering pathway, and emissions baseline
- Representative production, pump-ashore, sailing-cycle, reliability, and utilisation evidence
Sources and related records
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Source collections
Project sources 5
- IHC Dredging delivers 31,000 m³ TSHD SEAWAY to Boskalis Royal IHC, 21 July 2026; handover 20 July 2026
- Boskalis 2025 annual results Boskalis, 5 March 2026
- Launch of the SEAWAY Royal IHC, 3 October 2025
- Boskalis orders large 31,000 m³ TSHD from Royal IHC Boskalis, 27 October 2023
- Boskalis and Royal IHC sign LOI to build a new 31,000 m³ TSHD Royal IHC, 5 June 2023