China has started building the nation’s largest and most advanced trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD).
Upon its completion, the new vessel will become the largest TSHD in Asia , said Fei Long , a senior researcher at the Marine Design and Research Institute of China.
“ The new ship will be nearly 195 meters long and 38.5 meters wide. It will be able to suck materials from a maximum depth of 120 meters and contain about 35,000 cubic meters of seabed or riverbed substances ,” Fei said.
The manufacturing of some sections of the new giant TSHD, to be named later, has been underway since January at Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC) Qidong Marine Engineering in Jiangsu province, China Daily reports .
Research and development work for other sections of the vessel is also underway at the Marine Design and Research Institute of China in Shanghai.
The dredger is scheduled to be delivered to China Communications Construction, a State-owned engineering and infrastructure company, in 2026.