As the name suggests, a split hull vessel or split hopper literally splits in half over the entire length of the vessel to dump its contents. As a result, the discharge of soil in this type of hopper happens very rapidly. The ease and speed of disposal makes them highly attractive for use in combination with backhoe dredgers, cutter suction dredgers and grab hopper dredgers, but a split hull can also be converted to a trailing suction hopper dredger or grab hopper by adding a trailing suction pipe system or a crane.
Main features of a split hopper:
- hopper that dumps its contents by splitting over the full length of the vessel
- rapid discharge of the dredged soil
- self-propelled vessel for use at sea and/or inland use
- used in combination with stationary dredgers, or is a trailing suction hopper dredger or grab dredger itself.
Initial investment costs of a split hull vessel
Split hull vessels or split hoppers come in all shapes and sizes. Some split hopper barges are only used to transport and discharge the dredged materials, while other larger split hull vessels can be dredgers themselves. Depending on the size and equipment requirements, the price for a new-build split hopper can vary widely.