SAND Falcon, one of the largest dredgers now in operation anywhere in the world, made a showcase visit to Southampton docks after undergoing a wide-ranging refit programme to enlarge the vessel.

One of a fleet of nine dredgers operated by RMC Marine, Sand Falcon gathers sand and gravel from reserves in the seas off the south and east coasts of Great Britain and mainland Europe.

Now nearly 400ft long, the 1998-built ship has a capacity of almost 9,500 tonnes of dredged aggregates, which is used in construction and development projects, as well as beach replenishment schemes, across the country.

A spokesman for RMC Marine, which has its headquarters in Southampton, said: "There are two or three vessels of similar size to Sand Falcon but there is not one bigger.

"We decided to bring the vessel to Southampton so that as many of our customers as possible, in the area, were able to visit the ship.''

With a crew of up to 13, Sand Falcon spends anything up to 36 hours at sea at anyone time taking up aggregate from beneath the waves before transferring its cargo ashore.

More than 20 per cent of the nation's demand for sand and gravel is now met by marine aggregates and RMC Marine, from its Southampton base, operates throughout the UK's coastal waters and the nearby coast of Europe, spanning the Bay of Biscay to the Baltic.