Hopper Dredger

A dredger that stores dredged spoil in an onboard hopper rather than pumping it directly to shore, the defining feature of the trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD). A self-propelled hull lowers one or two drag arms to the seabed, suction pumps load the hopper while it sails slowly, then it transits to a disposal site and empties by opening bottom doors, splitting the hull along its centerline, or pumping the load ashore through a bow line. It works in open water and maintained channels where a stationary cutter dredger cannot. The seed acronym TSHD is correct; THSD is a typo.