Humble Operations - Meet Allard: Chief Engineer and Operator

Meet Allard,

Allard is the Chief Engineer aboard the General MacArthur, a 24,000 HP - 32" Cutter-head Suction Dredge. It is the largest of its kind in North America and the Western World. I was privileged one afternoon to sit down with him to learn all about the dredge and what goes in to keeping it running. 

Allard hails from the Netherlands and surrounding region, an epicenter for world class maritime industry and coastal engineering. Like his father, Allard became an expert in vessel operations and keeping the enormous steel sea creatures running constantly. Unlike the steel skiff your neighbor may have rusting away in their yard, the vessels Allard maintains are as complex as the space shuttle and require constant attention to manage the massive pumps, enormous diesel engines and generators, thousands of volts of switchgear and electronics, and of course the 25 plus human souls living aboard who need food, clothing, and shelter. 

After sitting down with Allard for about thirty minutes in his private office on board, before our entire walk around of the dredge, I realized how deeply ingrained he was in the entire being and existence of the dredge. It was like an extension of his very self where he could feel and manipulate it. Allard walked me through every detail of the dredge, from VFD electric motors, life support, and supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA).

Sitting across from Allard in his office aboard the General MacArthur

Allard also took me into a deep dive within the General MacArthur's SCADA system. From his office, he can view every process happening on the dredge in real time. Additionally, the SCADA system allows him to manipulate select processes from it. 

The SCADA system broadcast around the entire dredge

Allard continued to show me around the entire dredge. We visited the control room and met the staff who constantly sat at the controls maintaining all the systems on board. We entered the diesel generator room and switchgear room where every amp of current on the dredge travels through. We walked the entire decks of the dredge and saw the two primary pumps which can move over 100,000 cubic yards of slurry daily, as well as the massive 32" cutter-head with a built-in pump that goes down to the sea floor to suck up raw material. 


Me standing in front of the cutter-head while the dredge is operating. Allard graciously took my picture. 

Its' not every day you get to meet someone like Allard. He spends most of his time at sea, limiting his exposure to masses of different people. Like meeting a professional athlete, a musician, or someone at the top of their field, meeting Allard was a privilege because he opened the door into his unique world and humbly walked me through the dedication and passion it takes to run and be trusted with such a complex operation. 

 

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