The Sand Fulmar has helped to meet the high demand for sand in Rotterdam

      
The Sand Fulmar in the Eemhaven

From mid-July to mid-August 2026, the trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) Sand Fulmar helped to meet the exceptionally high demand for fill sand in the Rotterdam region.

Sand intended for industrial use, such as in concrete, is mostly discharged at land-based facilities.
However, fill sand dredged at sea is often stored temporarily in underwater pits.
In this case, the sand dredged at sea by TSHDs at dedicated mining locations is placed in such a pit.
In accordance with demand, it is subsequently loaded into inland carriers by a locally stationed suction dredger.
There are a few of these underwater pits in the Rotterdam area, one of the most frequently used is the so-called Frisoput, located in the Eemhaven.

While July and August are usually known for relatively low demand for fill sand, demand this year exceeded expectations.
As the regular maintenance of the TSHD that usually operates in this area is also scheduled for this period, additional dredging capacity had to be brought in to meet demand, hence the mobilisation of the Sand Fulmar for this task.

Some history

The Sand Fulmar after the purchase by Group De Cloedt

The Sand Fulmar is a 4,000 m3 hopper dredger that was originally built by Merwede Shipyard for the English company South Coast Shipping.
The company was renamed RMC Marine in 2002.
In 2005, the company was taken over by CEMEX UK, who sold the dredger to the Brussels-based Group De Cloedt in 2025.

Group De Cloedt currently has seven seagoing TSHDs in its fleet; the Sand Fulmar is the second ship taken over from CEMEX UK, after the 2,794 m3 capacity Sand Harrier, which was renamed DC Ostend.