The new jumbo cutter suction dredger D'Artagnan, belonging to DEME Group subsidiary Societe De Dragage International of France, leads the way with water lubricated Thordon Composite intermediate lineshaft bearings installed in addition to cutterhead shaft bearings.

Thordon Composite is a tough two-component elastomeric polymer alloy bearing specifically formulated to provide superior wear life in very abrasive water conditions.

Operating in combination with a hard stainless steel shaft or hard coated shaft liner such as Ni-Cr-B, they are reported to last twice as long as rubber bearings to significantly reduce expensive maintenance downtime and other costs over the life of the vessel.

Archirodon Dredging Construction (Overseas) of the United Arab Emirates is another company to choose Thordon Composite bearings, using them on the cutter suction dredgers Pontos and Aetos.

The UAE's National Marine Dredging Company has them on five of their dredgers and Huta-Sete Marine Works of Saudi Arabia uses them on Hua Sete. Van Oord Ship Management BV of the Netherlands has recently installed the bearings on Zeeland II while Van Oord's Belgian rival Jan de Nul uses them on its CSD 8060. They have also been deployed recently by China's Tianjin Waterway Bureau on board Jin Hang Jun 215.

MJ Information No: 21521