Changshi 19, a self-propelled cutter-suction dredger built by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co Ltd for the Yangtze River Waterway Bureau, ends its three-day trial trip on Nov 8 and returns to its base in Qidong. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

Changshi 19, a self-propelled cutter-suction dredger built by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co Ltd (ZPMC) for the Yangtze River Waterway Bureau, ended its three-day trial trip on Nov 8, and returned to the ZMPC Qidong marine engineering shipyard.

With a dredging capacity of at least 3,500 cubic meters per hour, the dredger is able to excavate clay, dense sand, and strongly and weakly weathered rocks.

Work on the vessel started in Qidong, a county-level city administered by Nantong city in East China's Jiangsu province, in 2018. During the construction process, the Qidong marine engineering shipyard adjusted the construction plan in accordance with the schedule.

Especially since the COVID-19 outbreak, the shipyard has laid equal emphasis on epidemic prevention and work resumption and pushed forward the building process in an orderly way.

On Nov 6, Changshi 19 departed from ZMPC Qidong marine engineering shipyard wharf and started its trial trip.

In the three-day offshore experiment, the ship tested all its functions such as the main propulsion system and conduction and ship rotation as required in the trial sailing outline.

Changshi 19 will be used in the dredging and maintenance of the Wuhan-Anqing waterway.