Keel Laying Ceremony Marks Milestone In The Construction Of World’s Most Powerful Cutter Suction Dredger ‘Spartacus’

Today the keel laying ceremony took place for DEME’s cutter suction dredger ‘Spartacus’ at the Royal IHC shipyard in Krimpen aan den Ijssel in the Netherlands. The ceremony marks a milestone in the construction of the most powerful cutter suction dredger that has ever been built.

The combination of power, size and new innovations make mega cutter ‘Spartacus’ a new benchmark in the dredging industry. With a total installed power of 44.180 kW the vessel will be able to cut harder soils at speeds that have not been possible before. This means that works can be taken on by the cutter dredger rather than relying on the use of dynamite and blasting.

Credits: deme-group.com

‘Spartacus’ will be able to dredge in waters of up to 45 m, compared to the 35 m depth which is presently the upper limit in the market. The dredger is capable of operating in very remote locations with limited infrastructure, given the fuel autonomy and accommodation capacity. The environmentally friendly cutter suction dredger will also have other innovations on board, such as a waste heat recovery system that converts heat from the exhaust gasses to electrical energy.

The 164 m long ‘Spartacus’ will be the world’s first dual fuel cutter suction dredger. It will have a Green Passport and Clean Design notation. DEME’s newest additions to the fleet are all designed as green vessels equipped with next generation dual fuel engines, capable of running on LNG or diesel fuel, reducing carbon emissions, almost eliminating particulate matter, sulphur oxides (Sox) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).

‘Spartacus’ will join the DEME fleet in 2019.

Reference: deme-group.com