Finland’s Wärtsilä Corporation has been contracted to supply a comprehensive package of engines and propulsion machinery for the world’s first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) powered Cutter Suction Dredger (CSD) vessel. When delivered, the Spartacus, which is being built on behalf of Belgium based Dredging International (DEME), will be the world’s most powerful CSD.
The dredger is being built at the Royal IHC yard in the Netherlands. The order with Wärtsilä, optimised for the needs of the vessel, is worth around EUR 20 million (USD 21.3 million).
The 164 metre long vessel will have a total installed power of 44,180 kW. It will feature four 9-cylinder Wärtsilä 46DF dual-fuel engines, two 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel engines, and a Wärtsilä LNGPac fuel gas storage and supply system with a newly designed bilobe tank arrangement. Wärtsilä will also supply two fixed pitch propellers with shaft assemblies and HP nozzles, and two tunnel thrusters, as well as commissioning, site supervision, and extended project management services. The equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yard during the fourth quarter of 2017.
“We are very aware of our environmental responsibilities, and for this reason we have opted for Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines running on clean burning LNG fuel,” says Jan Gabriel, Head of newbuilding and conversion department at DEME.
The Spartacus is expected to be delivered to the customer in mid-2019 and will operate in different locations around the world. CSDs are able to dredge nearly all kinds of soils, including sand, clay and rock. They are used wherever the ground is too hard for conventional dredgers to operate.
(Source: Wärtsilä Corporation)
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World’s First LNG-Powered Cutter Suction Dredger Ordered by DEME
