Baku Shipyard is currently working on the construction of a Damen Cutter Suction Dredger (CSD) 650. Damen Shipyards delivered the dredger’s design and materials package. The dredger, which will be ready later this year, will be operated by the Port of Baku, a transport hub on the western shore of the Caspian Sea.

While Baku Shipyard has built a wide array of vessels over time, this is the first cutter suction dredger to be built in Azerbaijan. All steel work is being carried out by the yard according to the Damen design.

The Damen CSD 650 is delivered as design package with major components delivered by truck
The Damen CSD 650 is delivered as design package with major components delivered by truck (photo by Damen).

The materials package delivered by Damen to the yard includes the main components such as the dredge pump and the operating cabin etc. The materials filled eleven trailers and two 40 foot containers.

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Cutter Suction Dredger 650

The CSD 650 is a stationary dredger designed to work at a dredging depth of between -3 and -18 metres. The 700-kW cutter power and 1825-kW dredge pump power combined with the impressive 63-metre swing width ensure efficient dredging operations.

The Damen CSD 650 modular design consists of a main pontoon and separate side pontoons
The Damen CSD 650 modular design consists of a main pontoon and separate side pontoons (photo by Damen).

The well-equipped dredger, which has been named Engineer Soltan Kazimov, will be performing maintenance dredging duties in the port. Accessibility is key here particularly as over the past five years the water level in the Caspian Sea has significantly dropped. This combined with the latest port expansion, ensures dredging is a necessity to keep the various berths available for ever-increasing port traffic.

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Port of Baku

Thanks to its strategic location, the Port of Baku has developed into a regional logistic centre over the past years. Its east-west axis connects China by rail and road to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, while its north-south transport corridor extends towards the Persian Gulf.

Picture (top): The first ever CSD under construction in Azerbaijan at Baku Shipyard (photo by Damen).

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