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Netherlands Queen Máxima christens Van Oord dredgerNetherlands Queen Máxima christens Van Oord dredger

Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands performed the christening ceremony for Van Oord's trailing suction hopper dredger Vox Amalia in Rotterdam last Friday in presence of 1,400 employees and guests.

Michele Labrut, Americas Correspondent

December 17, 2018

1 Min Read
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The christening was also the final event in the celebrations marking Van Oord's 150th anniversary in 2018.

The vessel was moored along Wilhelminakade next to the Cruise Terminal in Rotterdam for the special event. After the christening ceremony, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dutch DJ duo Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano gave a musical performance.

Queen Máxima toured the Vox Amalia and met its crew. She also spoke to the engineers who supervised the vessel’s construction and to a group of youngsters representing Generation Z, the offspring of employees and shareholders, who shared their ideas about a sustainable future.

Van Oord celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2018 with various activities, including the christening of subsea rock installation vessel Bravenes in May and an international symposium in the Laurenskerk in November. During the symposium, the company was awarded the Royal designation.

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The Vox Amalia, a trailing suction hopper dredger, has large, powerful pumps and engines that enable it to dredge sand, clay, sludge and even gravel from sea or river beds. The Vox Amalia is 158 m long, 36 m wide and has a hopper capacity of 18,000 cu m. It was built in Spain under Van Oord’s supervision.

After the christening ceremony, the vessel will undergo trials in the Netherlands and then be deployed on dredging projects worldwide.

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About the Author

Michele Labrut

Americas Correspondent

Michèle Labrut is a long-time Panama resident, a journalist and correspondent, and has continuously covered the maritime sector of Central & Latin America.

Michèle first came to Panama as a press attaché to the French Embassy and then returned to the isthmus as a foreign correspondent in the 1980s.

Author of Seatrade Maritime's annual Panama Maritime Review magazine and of several books, Michèle also wrote for Time magazine, The Miami Herald, NBC News and the Economist Intelligence Unit. She has also collaborated in making several documentaries for the BBC and European and U.S. television networks.

Michèle's profession necessitates a profound knowledge of the country, but her acumen is not from necessity alone, but a genuine passion for Panama.

In 2012 she was awarded the Order of Merit (Knight grade) by the French Government for her services to international journalism and in 2021 the upgrade to Chevalier grade.

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