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~SHIPS~DORSET~ Images of the Month for May 2026 ~ 1of2 ~ Hanson Thames ~ berthing at Poole - April 2026 

The  marine aggregate dredger Hanson Thames was built at Damen Shipyards in Galati, Romania, and entered service in the UK early 2022. The vessel was part of Hanson UK’s strategy to replace their previous fleet of ageing dredgers operating in the North Sea and English Channel, which supply essential sand and gravel to ready-mixed concrete, concrete block and bagged aggregate plants in the UK. Hanson UK had been acquired by German company Heidelberg Materials in 2007. 

Central South Coast receiving ports for the dredger fleets include Poole, Southampton & Shoreham with dredging zones currently allocated including areas south-west of Isle of Wight. Less familiar to Poole than Cemex Go Innovation, regular ~Ships~Dorset~ contributor Darryl Morrell captured these two great images on 23rd April of Hanson Thames when she visited Port of Poole to discharge her aggregates.    

~SHIPS~DORSET~ Images of the Month for May 2026 ~ 2of2 ~ Hanson Thames ~ berthing at Poole - April 2026 

Damen Shipyards' innovative MAD 3500 model is capable of extracting marine-dredged aggregates in water up to 55 metres deep and has been designed to ensure safe, comfortable operations – even in adverse conditions. With increased payload and efficiency, the model is equipped with enhanced safety features including an enclosed bow to protect equipment and dredge pipes positioned above the main deck. Hanson Thames has ben designed to operate 24/7 with just nine crew members. At any one time, dredging can take place with only two personnel on the bridge plus an engineer on duty. Unloading the entire vessel can be achieved in just two to three hours and is fully automated. Key technologies on board the dredger include a modular screening tower that allows material brought up from the seabed to be sorted as it comes aboard rather than once it reaches land. This enables it to retain only the grades that are in demand while returning the rest to the seabed.

Key Dimensions for Hanson Thames  … Gross Tonnage = 4,920 … Length = 103m … Beam = 16m … total installed power = 4,400 kW … Speed = 12 knots … aggregates capacity = 5,500 tonnes … in service since 2022. 

To view previous "Images of the Month" click our Image Archive link ...