The Crestway works on the principle of a hopper excavator . The dredger has a suction pipe on its port side , which it can lower to the bottom of the water for dredging at slow speeds. The solid components of the suction material settle in the ship and the water flows back into the water. The solid constituents of the suction material are removed and can be washed up elsewhere. The Crestway is therefore particularly well suited for dredging harbors, maintaining fairways and fairways, as well as washing up sand in the area of coastal protection.
The sister ship of the Crestway with the same dimensions and the same equipment is called Shoreway .
