IHC launches world’s most powerful cutter suction dredge

Spartacus will be first LNG fueled CSD

NOVEMBER 10, 2018 — Royal IHC’s Krimpen aan den IJssel, Netherlands, shipyard has successfully launched the world’s largest, most powerful cutter suction dredge, the 44,180 kW self-propelled Spartacus.

Designed and built for Belgium’s DEME Group, the 164 m Spartacus is the first cutter suction dredge to be liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled.

The four main 9-cylinder Wärtsilä 46DF engines can run on LNG, marine diesel oil (MDO) and heavy fuel oil (HFO). The two 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 20 DFauxiliary engines also incorporate dual-fuel technology.

IHC and DEME acquired extensive knowledge during the build of the LNG fueled trailing suction hopper dredges Minerva and Scheldt River.

As the first LNG-powered CSD in the world, the Spartacus sets a new benchmark in the industry. It also features several additional innovations, such as a waste heat recovery system, a one-man operated dredge control and a heavy-duty cutter ladder that can reach a dredging depth of 45 m.

“DEME’s drive to innovate and focus on sustainability is reflected in the company’s multi-year fleet investment program,” says Director and CEO of DEME Alain Bernard. “The new additions to the fleet are part of our continuous efforts to further increase efficiency, both in terms of production and environmental performance. Spartacus stands out because of her unrivaled power and high-tech features on board. The CSD will drive new levels of performance and provide our customers with flexible solutions for dredging projects in even the most harsh and remote environments.”

“IHC is known for its willingness to push boundaries to develop and produce high added-value equipment and vessels for our customers,” says IHC’s CEO Dave Vander Heyde. “The combination of power, size and innovation makes the Spartacus a perfect example of such a project. DEME was once the first dredging company to put a ‘jumbo’ dredger in the market which has led to a new generation of dredging vessels. As the Spartacus will soon be the world’s largest and most powerful LNG-powered CSD in operation, DEME will again have set a new standard in the market.”

Rendering of Spartacus on completion