Semi-submersible heavy lift vessel Hua Yang Long has loaded what will be the world’s most powerful cutter suction dredger, the Willem van Rubroeck, in Croatia. From there, Jan De Nul’s new ship will be transported to Poland for further completion.
The loading process took place on Friday 3 April and took 2.5 hours to complete. The Hua Yang Long is a 52,500-DWT self-propelled semi-submersible heavy lift vessel owned and operated by Guangzhou Salvage.
Construction of the Willem van Rubroeck took place at Uljanik Shipyard in Croatia. It was launched in August 2017 and was supposed to be delivered in 2018. Because the shipyard went bankrupt, construction and delivery was delayed. Delivery is now planned for the end of 2020.
#WeFocus • Because this ‘big bro’ loaded our Willem van Rubroeck today in Croatia, transporting her to Poland for further completion of her construction. The semi-submersible transport vessel successfully loaded our largest Cutter Suction Dredger in 2.5 hours. #jandenul pic.twitter.com/kAtkJgbNI8
— Jan De Nul Group (@jandenulgroup) April 3, 2020
Vessel particulars
The vessel has a length of 151.3 metres, a width of 36 metres and can develop a speed of 12 knots. It has an installed power of 40,975 kilowatts (kW), making it the world’s most powerful cutter dredger. It has two retractable thrusters with a total power of 6000 kW and three dredging pumps with a total power of 25,500 kW, of which two are located in the pump room and one in the cutter ladder.
The Willem van Rubroeck will have a cutter power of 8500 kW and will be able to dredge compact sand, clay and rocks up to 45 metres deep. The operation, controlled from a central station, is almost completely automated. The vessel can accommodate 67 crew members.
