Royal IHC has been awarded a contract for the design, construction and delivery of Spartacus a 44, 180kW self-propelled cutter suction dredger (CSD) for DEME in Belgium.
This environmentally-friendly CSD will also have other innovations on board such as a waste heat recovery system that converts heat from the exhaust gases to electrical energy. The dredge control is arranged for a one-man operation. The vessel will have a heavy-duty cutter ladder and can reach a dredging depth of 45m.
The newly built CSD will be 164 metres long. The concept and basic design for this mega cutter was done in close cooperation with DEME, Vuyk Engineering Rotterda, a 100% subsidiary of IHC.
Showing commitment to environmental goals
The Spartacus will also reinforce DEME’s commitment to green initiatives. 'This cutter suction dredger is going to be an important benchmark for the industry and a huge step toward limiting the environmental impact of our vessels,” says Jan Gabriel, DEME’s head of construction and conversion.
The Spartacus will be the world’s first LNG-powered (liquefied natural gas) CSD and follows the order for the first LNG-powered trailing suction hopper dredgers (TSHDs) Minerva and Scheldt River and "LNG-ready" Bonny River that are currently under construction at IHC’s shipyards. The four main diesel engines can run on LNG, MDO and HFO, and the two auxilliary engines have dual-fuel technology.
Most complex cutter ever built
'We can state that this CSD is the largest and most complex that IHC has ever built,' says Dave Vander Heyde, IHC's CEO. 'The combination of power, size and innovations makes it a true challenge to build'.
