Two new identical 6,500 m³ trailing suction hopper dredgers (TSHD) made in Qidong, a county-level city in Nantong, East China’s Jiangsu province, are completed on April 26. The event was marked by a ceremony. [Photo/WeChat account of Qidong Daily]

Two new identical 6,500 m³ trailing suction hopper dredgers (TSHD) made in Qidong, a county-level city in Nantong, East China’s Jiangsu province, were completed on April 26. The event was marked by a ceremony.

The new dredgers, Hang Jun 6008 and Hang Jun 6009, were built at the shipyard of Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co Ltd (ZPMC) in Qidong. Basic engineering and dredging automation systems were supplied by Royal IHC in the Netherlands. 

The two vessels were built for IHC customer CHEC Dredging Company Ltd (CHECD), a subsidiary of CCCC Shanghai Dredging Company Ltd.

IHC was responsible for design, dredging installation, automation, electrical installations, and onsite support. 

Both dredgers are 108.3 meters long and 24.5 meters wide. They are capable of dredging to depths of up to 30 meters. 

The two dredgers are supposedly capable of intelligent dredging under any conditions. Their operational efficiency is nearly 15 percent higher than manually operated dredgers.

The two vessels will be dispatched to Lianyungang Port and the Yangtze estuary to be used in construction work. They are operable in non-restricted waters and are expected to be used in infrastructure construction in countries along the Belt and Road.

The two new dredgers made in Qidong, Jiangsu province [Photo/WeChat account of Qidong Daily]

The Hang Jun 6009 TSHD during a trial at sea [Photo/WeChat account of Qidong Daily]