About dredging
Types of dredger
Auxiliaries
All modern dredgers are equipped with a range of sophisticated electronic control and data-logging systems appropriate to their type. These assist with positioning, loading and recording. VDU displays showing the position and attitude of a trailer drag-head, cutter head, backhoe stick and bucket, or even a grab are set in front of the operator. Similar displays show in plan the location of the dredger and, where appropriate, its track and heading. Depth of cut, current dredged depth and slopes are also displayed on the same or separate monitors.
All these aids lead to increased efficiency of operation as they minimise overdredging. They reduce unnecessary travel or coverage (traversing an area already to profile) and improve the precision of offloading, particularly when forming the lower layers of a reclamation or where strict environmental controls exist.