Last Friday, the naming ceremony was held for the mega cutter suction dredger ‘Spartacus’. The most powerful cutter suction dredger in the world, a vessel like ‘Spartacus’ has never been seen before in the industry. With a total installed power of 44,180 kW, its production rates and ability to cut hard soil are unrivalled, according to the company's release.
Luc Vandenbulcke, CEO DEME Group, comments: “’Spartacus’ was designed with three main priorities at its core: pushing the boundaries of dredging potential, unprecedented autonomy and minimising the impact on the environment. We are proud to be a technological and sustainable leader in the industry and ‘Spartacus’ embodies this drive and innovative spirit. DEME would like to very much thank Mrs Penders for being the godmother to this exceptional vessel and for joining us in celebrating this milestone.”
‘Spartacus’ will drive new levels of performance in the dredging industry given its unbeatable pumping power and heavy-duty cutter ladder, which means a dredging depth of 45 m can be reached. Projects that would not have been feasible before are now possible.
As well as its impressive power, ‘Spartacus’ is the first cutter suction dredger in the industry that can be powered by LNG. The vessel also has several additional energy saving features, such as a waste heat recovery system.
‘Spartacus’ incorporates other smart innovations to maximise productivity, including an on board workshop with a vibration-insulated floor, which makes it possible to carry out the maintenance and repair of the cutterheads during operations. This enables the mega cutter suction dredger to achieve unequalled uptime and is a major advantage when working in remote parts of the world.