Printer Friendly
Email a Friend
European Expertise in Chinese Newbuild
01 Jan 2005
In January 2003 VOSTA LMG received an order from Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard for the design and supply of all dredging components for a trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) for the Chinese Harbor Authority Huanghua Port . The vessel was handed over in a festive ceremony on 11 November 2004, after successful dredging trials in the Yangtze estuary.
Shen Hua has now begun performing its role, the continuous maintenance dredging necessary to maintain the required depth of the port waterway entrance at Huanghua Port. This was the initial reason for the Board of Management of Shenhua Group to invest in their own trailer. Huanghua Port, located at the northeast coast of China, belongs to the Shenhua Group and is the main hub for worldwide transport of coal being excavated in the mines located in the northern part of China.
The order for VOSTA LMG covered the complete engineering package and the delivery of the dredging components for a 5000m 3TSHD. As has happened previously, VOSTA LMG also had complete technical responsibility for the vessel. The vessel was built incorporating latest developments in dredging technology.
Shen Hua is a twin screw vessel with two free hanging rudders. The deckhouse is arranged on foreward and can accommodate up to 45 persons.
The hopper is of semi-closed type with center box keelson and transverse saddles. The load can be dumped through 10 conical bottom valves or discharged via a bow coupling to shore. The 122m LOA vessel can dredge to depths of 26m through twin 900mm diameter trailing suction pipes.
The shape and equipment of the hopper reflect design developments made by VOSTA LMG, with smooth walls and the bottom valves arranged in two rows, which work with the jet water system for diluting the load to allow rapid discharge of the hopper. The geometry of the bottom valves ensures better sealing of the hopper than would be the case with bottom flaps.
Special active dragheads combine significant excavation capabilities to loosen the compact soil at Huanghua Port with optimised hydraulic properties for mixture transportation. The draghead visor angle can be controlled to optimise production.
The automated VOSTA LMG Dredge Control & Monitoring System (DCMS) visualises and reports the entire dredging process, controlling the pumps and valves to ensure optimised discharge rates. A side graphic suction pipe position indicator shows exact position in the same way as the loading computer exactly monitors and displays load conditions in the hopper.
MJ Information No: 20220
Images for this article - click to enlarge
Unless otherwise stated, all images copyright © Mercator Media 2008. This does not exclude the owner's assertion of copyright over the material.
Related products
For more information on products mentioned within this article visit
