China launches domestically made mega dredger

China’s largest cutter-suction dredger is due to be launched on Friday in the city of Qidong, Jiangsu Province, reports China Youth Daily.

The Tiankun, which is 140-meter-long and 27.8-meter-wide, can dredge to a depth of 35 meters, and carry its load for 15-thousand meters.

The dredger was designed by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard as well as the China Merchants Industry, and was built by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries.

Tiankun is larger and has greater capability than the Tianjing, formerly the largest cutter-suction dredger in Asia, which was built with imported parts.

Wang Jian, President Assistant at the China Communications Construction Tianjin Dredging Group, says Tiankun represents a landmark as China’s first independently developed heavy-duty self-propelled cutter-suction dredger, over which China has completely independent intellectual property rights.

Tiankun leads the field of similar boats in the world in terms of distance of delivery and in many other respects.

Its advanced systems allow automated dredging and monitoring. It can also carry out dredging and reclamation work at ports, in coastal waters, in addition to deep-sea operations.

It will be put into service in the first half of 2018.