The mega cutter suction dredger (CSD) Spartacus has accomplished unprecedented production levels at the Abu Qir 2 project in Egypt and the Port of Leixões in Portugal.
There was also a significant fuel saving per dredged m3 and an equivalent improvement in emission reduction, said DEME.
The reduction in fuel is due to several innovative features DEME has introduced to make the vessel as energy efficient as possible .
The Spartacus is equipped with dual fuel engines, enabling the operator to choose the cleanest fuel available, and the vessel is equipped with an installation to recover waste heat from the engine exhausts, generate steam and convert this by means of a steam turbine into up to 2,000kW of electrical power.
Additionally, the CSD has also demonstrated high levels of workability, and was always the last vessel to return to port at Abu Qir when weather conditions were challenging .
This giant can dredge up to an exceptional -45m rather than the usual -35m, and has unprecedented autonomy and pumping distance, having the ability to pump 15-20km ashore at high flow rates.
“However, despite the incredible volumes and high production rate, the Spartacus was yet to face its true test. That was to come with its second project at the Port of Leixões in Portugal,” said DEME.
In Portugal, the vessel would be doing what it is built for – cutting extremely hard rock.
The scope was to deepen and extend the port and it included 2.9 million m3 of dredging, of which 1.8 million m3 is extremely hard rock material.
In the ‘preSpartacus era’ this project would have to be performed using traditional drilling and blasting techniques, which can result in damaging shockwaves and vibrations .
The Port of Leixões is situated very close to residential and commercial areas, therefore blasting techniques could pose a considerable risk.
The new cutter suction dredger passed the test with flying colours.
The vessel even dredged extremely hard rocks with values never reached before. To do this without the need to blast the rock apart is a huge benefit environmentally, ecologically and to the local surroundings.
In just six months the DEME team dredged from -12m to -16m.
On top of this ability to remove a huge quantity of rock in a very short timeframe, another advantage was that port activities could continue as normal.