HID workboat and cutter suction dredger joint operation record.

HID workboat and cutter suction dredger joint operation record.

At the site of the Eastern Key Waterway Expansion Project, the core-equipped workboat independently developed by HID Shipyard teamed up with a large cutter suction dredger for an exquisite ‘duet at sea’. This joint operation not only proved HID Shipyard’s full industrial chain integration capability in the special engineering ship sector but also offered a new Chinese solution for dredging projects in challenging sea conditions through efficient, safe, and intelligent performance.

The work area was full of rolling waves. The HID workboat moved like a nimble dolphin, using its excellent manoeuvrability to provide precise warning and positioning around the dredger. Acting as the dredger’s ‘dedicated bodyguard’ and ‘logistical manager’, this workboat integrates anchoring and positioning, pipeline towing, material supply and oil spill emergency response.

Meanwhile, the cutter suction dredger, like a ‘sea giant’, digs deep into the mud layer, chopping through hard rock and soil and conveying it via pipelines several kilometres long to the designated sediment area. The HID workboat, using its dynamic positioning system, remained rock steady in strong currents, ensuring zero delays during the dredger’s movement and pile change operations.

The key to the success of this collaboration lies in HID Shipyard’s profound understanding of system integration:

1. Highly matched power system: The HID workboat’s variable pitch propeller and bow thruster provide precise pushing and mooring support for the dredger in complex currents, effectively countering crossflows and keeping the dredger cutter’s position accuracy within centimetres.

2. Intelligent joint operation platform: Both vessels are equipped with HID’s self-developed ship-shore integrated intelligent system, enabling data exchange. The workboat’s monitoring screen reads the dredger’s slurry concentration and pipeline pressure in real time, automatically adjusting towing tension and fundamentally preventing pipeline blockages.

3. Green drag-reducing design: For offshore operations, the HID workboat adopts an optimised hull design, saving 15% more energy in operational conditions compared with similar vessels, providing economical support for long-term accompaniment.

In the future, HID will continue to advance in dredging and marine engineering, offering global customers superior comprehensive marine development support services with ‘Chinese craftsmanship’.