To master the world's seas, you must first master the river on your doorstep. For DEME, the River Scheldt was never just a waterway. With its shifting sandbanks, strong tides and demanding navigational conditions, the river was a constant test of engineering skill and ingenuity.

By the late 1970s, a new challenge emerged. The dredging vessels operating on the river were becoming increasingly larger and more powerful, but both the Scheldt and the client's requirements called for a different type of vessel: they had to be capable of combining high production with exceptional maneuverability and a remarkably shallow draft.

In 1979, a different kind of dredger entered service. The trailing suction hopper dredger Schelde II was designed specifically for the challenges of the Scheldt, integrating efficiency, mobility and a shallow draft in ways that had not been seen before. Later vessels such as Orwell and Antigoon would be built using the same approach.

These vessels introduced a range of innovations, from advanced bottom-door systems for accurate discharge in shallow areas to improved overflow systems that reduced turbidity. What began as a local challenge on the Scheldt evolved into a technological leap that would influence dredging operations far beyond Belgium.