On Wednesday, June 14, 2023, we christened our new suction hopper dredger with the name “HEGEMANN V”. The christening took place in Bremerhaven at 11:00 a.m. in beautiful sunshine (so the christened vessel didn’t have to freeze) at Islandkai. Heike Ahrens-Kulenkampff, Chairwoman of the non-profit Detlef Hegemann Foundation and the non-profit Ursula Hegemann Foundation, acted as godmother of the HEGEMANN V at the ceremony.
REVIEW | Order & Construction
At the end of June 2020, a contract was signed with the Dutch shipyard group Kooiman Marine Group for the construction of a new suction hopper dredger with the working title “HEGEMANN V”. The ship was to have a length of 76 m, a hold volume of around 1900 m³ and be operated with diesel-electric systems. This meant that the suction hopper dredger had to meet the highest current emission requirements. The HEGEMANN V is designed to operate worldwide 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with a crew of 8.
REVIEW | Launching, towage, delivery
On January 18, 2022, the HEGEMANN V was launched at the shipyard in Kladovo (Serbia), where the ship was put into the water. From there, it was towed along the Danube to the Romanian seaport of Constanza. However, the HEGEMANN V’s journey did not end here. The planned route included the Black Sea, the Bosporus, Malta, Sardinia, the Strait of Gibraltar, the English Channel and Rotterdam. The HEGEMANN V was towed along the entire route, which was a major challenge, particularly due to the length of the route. Her final destination (before delivery) was finally at the Kooiman shipyard in Zwijndrecht.
The investment of around EUR 20 million demonstrates the long-term importance of the dredging business segment for the HEGEMANN-REINERS GROUP.




