DEME Orders World’s Largest Cutter Suction Dredger from Royal IHC

Royal IHC and DEME have signed a contract for the design, construction and delivery of the 44,180kW self-propelled cutter suction dredger (CSD) SPARTACUS.

The concept and basic design for this 164 meters long mega cutter was done in close cooperation with DEME, Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam and IHC.

CSD SPARTACUS will be the world’s first LNG-powered Cutter Suction Dredger and follows the order of the first LNG-powered Trailing Suction Hopper Dredgers ‘Minerva’ and ‘Scheldt River’.

The vessel’s four main diesel engines will be able to run on LNG, MDO and HFO, and the two auxiliary engines will have dual-fuel technology.

This environmentally-friendly CSD 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 dredge control is arranged for a one-man operation. Also, the vessel will have a heavy-duty cutter ladder with a dredging depth of 45m.

“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,” said DEME’s Head of Construction and Conversion, Jan Gabriel.

“We can state that this CSD is the largest and most complex that IHC has ever built,” commented IHC’s CEO Dave Vander Heyde. “The combination of power, size and innovations makes it a true challenge to build. We are proud and honored that DEME has again placed their trust in us.”

CSD SPARTACUS will be delivered in the summer of 2019.