Dutch marine engineering company ECTMarine has handed over a purpose-built workboat to Arab Potash Company (APC) in Jordan. Designed and built in the Netherlands, the workboat was tailored to the conditions at the Dead Sea, where the dense, highly saline brine and the site’s location around 400 metres below sea level posed specific challenges.
The vessel was handed over following successful site acceptance testing (SAT). The SAT of the Custom Workboat 104 had been completed a week earlier on APC’s brine evaporation ponds at the Dead Sea. APC was represented on site by its main contractor, Alghanem.
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Built for the conditions at the Dead Sea
The Custom Workboat 104 features a forward wheelhouse, an open working deck and a knuckle-boom deck crane. ECTMarine designed the vessel around APC’s operational requirements, with a hull and deck layout suitable for road transport on a standard flat rack.
‘The Dead Sea is not a normal place to operate a boat. The brine is extremely dense and corrosive, the site is remote, and the vessel has to be moved by road and lifted in by crane. We needed a workboat built around those conditions and around the tasks APC performs on the ponds. ECTMarine took the time to understand that before they started designing,’ explains Abdallah Ghammaz, Project Manager at Alghanem.
The vessel completed its factory acceptance test (FAT) in the Netherlands in summer 2026. During a two-day programme, a delegation representing the buyer witnessed a sea trial and demonstrations of the vessel’s systems, operating modes and configurations. Adjustments agreed during the FAT were completed before shipment.
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Shipped on a flat rack
The workboat was shipped to Jordan on a flat rack and trucked along the dykes of APC’s evaporation ponds to the launch point. There, a mobile crane with a double spreader-bar rig lifted it from the trailer into the brine.
ECTMarine, Alghanem and APC jointly conducted the SAT, testing the vessel’s propulsion, deck crane and onboard systems under operating conditions. Following successful completion of the tests, the workboat is ready to enter service.
Workboat 104
The Workboat 104 is designed for versatility in challenging and dynamic environments. Its shallow draught of just 1 meter enables safe and effective operation in rivers, estuaries, ports, and other confined or shallow zones. At the same time, its reinforced hull and high bollard pull (2 tonnes) ensure it remains steady and responsive in coastal waters and moderate offshore conditions.
The Workboat 104 is a versatile platform designed for a wide range of maritime and industrial operations such as dredging support, coastal maintenance, push and tow Operations, and supply and logistics.
Picture: A mobile crane with a double spreader-bar rig lifted the workboat from the trailer into the brine (photo ECTMarine).
