VIDEO: Installation of spuds on the world's largest cutter suction dredger

The concept and basic design for this mega cutter was done in close cooperation with DEME, Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam (a 100% subsidiary of IHC) and IHC.

VIDEO: Installation of spuds on the world's largest cutter suction dredger

The SPARTACUS will be the world’s first LNG-powered (liquefied natural gas) CSD and follows the order for the first LNG-powered trailing suction hopper dredgers (TSHDs) MINERVA and SCHELDT RIVER, and ‘LNG-ready’ BONNY RIVER, that are currently under construction at IHC’s shipyards. 

The concept and basic design for this mega cutter was done in close cooperation with DEME, Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam (a 100% subsidiary of IHC) and IHC.

The four main diesel engines can run on LNG, MDO and HFO, and the two auxiliary engines have dual-fuel technology. The application of LNG to power TSHDs has proven to be a very complex puzzle. In close cooperation with DEME, the two organisations have managed to fit all the pieces together. The SPARTACUS will benefit from this joint effort and forward-thinking and represents a new milestone in the industry.

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. The vessel will have a heavy-duty cutter ladder and can reach a dredging depth of 45m.