DEME Announces Keel Laying Ceremony Cutter Suction Dredge ‘Spartacus’

Belgian dredging, environmental and marine engineering group DEME announced in late December the keel laying ceremony of its newest cutter suction dredge Spartacus. The combination of power, size and new innovations of CSD Spartacus sets a new benchmark for mega-cutters. The vessel is 164 meters (538 feet) long and has a total installed power of 44,180 kW, allowing it to cut harder soils at faster speeds than are presently possible. With this power, the mega-cutter should be able to execute work that until now has relied on the use of dynamite and blasting. The ceremony took place at the Royal IHC shipyard in Krimpen aan den IJssel in the Netherlands and marked a milestone in the construction of powerful cutter suction dredges.

CSD Spartacus will be able to dredge in waters of up to 45 meters (147 feet) deep, compared to the 35 meter (115 feet) depth, which is now the upper limit in the market. Given the vessel’s fuel autonomy and accommodations capacity, the new cutter suction dredge can operate in very remote locations. Other innovations include environmentally friendly options, such as a waste heat recovery system that converts heat from the exhaust gases to electrical energy. The Spartacus will also be the world’s first dual fuel cutter suction dredge. It will have a Green Passport and Clean Design notation.

All of DEME’s newest additions to its fleet are designed as green vessels equipped with next generation dual fuel engines, capable of running on LNG or diesel fuel, reducing carbon emissions, almost eliminating particulate matter, Sulphur oxides (SOx) and Nitrogen oxides (NOx). CSD Spartacus will join the DEME fleet in 2019.