Zhenhua Heavy Industries completes the main hull construction of a trailing suction hopper dredger for the China Communications Construction Guangxi Bureau.

On June 18, ZPMC (Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Group) completed the main hull assembly of a 30,000-cubic-meter hopper suction dredger built for China Communications Construction Guangzhou Navigation Bureau at ZPMC Offshore. This marks another significant step forward in China's independent development of high-end dredging equipment.

This hopper suction dredger boasts core advantages such as ultra-deep excavation, ultra-strong soil breaking, and ultra-long discharge distance. It features multiple advanced operation modes, including single and double-rake dredging and loading, high-efficiency mud gate unloading, and single and double-pump bow discharge. It is also equipped with a highly intelligent dredging control system. Notably, the vessel is designed for methanol fuel use, showcasing a commitment to green and low-carbon development. Its superior performance not only meets the regular needs of port and waterway dredging and maintenance but also plays a crucial role in major projects such as deep-sea sand extraction and land reclamation, ultra-long distance seabed trench construction and backfilling. This effectively fills the gap in China's market for ultra-large hopper suction dredgers exceeding 30,000 cubic meters, significantly enhancing China's core competitiveness in the international high-end dredging market.

To ensure high-precision and high-quality main hull assembly, the ZPMC project team tackled industry technical bottlenecks and engineering challenges, focusing on ultra-large-scale precision control, complex stress distribution processing, multi-system integration and coordination, and special material welding technology. They organized multiple rounds of technical discussions and special reviews. During the construction phase, the project team, together with the ship owner's supervision team, used innovative wisdom and perseverance to overcome challenges one by one. They extensively used advanced digital scanning and positioning linkage systems, performing a "digital physical examination" on each section before hoisting to generate a millimeter-level error compensation plan. Strict welding quality control standards were implemented, optimizing the welding sequence and using the symmetrical welding method to further reduce residual stress in key areas and eliminate the hidden dangers of welding stress concentration. By optimizing process connections and implementing modular deep pre-outfit and regional parallel construction, construction efficiency was significantly improved, ensuring the smooth completion of the main hull assembly.

Next, the ZPMC project team will strive to meet the deadlines for launching and delivery of the vessel with a commitment to "excellence in quality, speed in progress, and safety in all aspects." They aim to ensure that this hopper suction dredger, combining efficient dredging and environmental protection, is put into operation on schedule, setting a new benchmark for the company in high-end shipbuilding and continuously strengthening its industry competitiveness.