Colombia
DRM amphibious dredge for river dredging
The amphibious dredge DRM is the protagonist of an ambitious dredging project in Colombia, to ensure the navigability of Rio Magdalena. This river originates in the Andes (central Cordillera) and covers almost the entire country from south to north for a length of 1.538 km, of which 1.230 are navigable. It therefore represents an important resource for the transport of goods and for trade by water.
Problem
The customer needed a dredging vehicle that could work both in the aquatic and terrestrial environment, entering and leaving the river. A machine capable of floating in high water like a normal dredger, but also capable of moving on the ground, in the mud of the river banks.
Solution
Dragflow supplied two units of the amphibious dredge DRM85/160. The two dredgers, equipped with a 265 kW diesel engine, are equipped with a dredging unit, consisting of a HY85/160 hydraulic pump and an EXHY35 disruptor, mounted at the end of the excavator arm, for a total capacity of over 500 m³/ h and a solid concentration volume of about 30-40%. In addition, the vehicle is equipped with floating tracks, a hydraulic propeller with 130 kW of power and four 8-meter long stabilizing poles to secure the dredger at the desired river point despite the current. This structure allows dredges to move on the ground like land vehicles and to float with stability thanks to the central float.
