Wärtsilä to power giant dredge

JANUARY 2, 2015 — A 6,500 cu.m. non self-propelled cutter dredge under construction in China will be one of the world’s largest with 5,200 kW of cutter power.

Designed by the Design & Research Institute of Ship and Ocean Engineering at Shanghai Jiaotong University, it is being built for Jiangsu Haihong Construction Engineering Co. at the company’s shipyard in China.

The vessel will be fitted with four 12-cylinder Wärtsilä 32 engines, two of which will be used to drive the dredge pump. For this application the 6,000 kW engines will run at 775 rpm rather than the normal 750 rpm. The Wärtsilä machinery is scheduled to be delivered in August 2015.

When delivered, the vessel will operate in the South China Sea and in Middle Eastern waters.

“Wärtsilä’s engines have proven reliability and fuel oil flexibility, which is important in dredges. Wärtsilä is a leading company in the marine sector and we hope that this project will lead to a long-term cooperation between our companies,” says Mr Meng XianHong, the president of Jiangsu Haihong.

“This is another notable contract for Wärtsilä. More Chinese shipowners and shipyards are selecting Wartsila for their vessels and this further strengthens our position within the Chinese shipbuilding market. The owner’s requirements for this important vessel are high efficiency and reliability with low operating costs, and we have been able to demonstrate our capabilities for meeting these criteria,” says Mr. Hans Laheij, Area Sales Director, Wärtsilä Ship Power