Dredger Experience

On the one hand, this is our usual work process with steel vessels. Thousands of details should be properly worked out so that our Yard is able to assemble and weld them.The details should be perfect. On the other hand, these vessels vibrate throughout their entire life, and this is something we have to keep in mind at all times. The hard points and misalignments can cause problems much earlier than on other types of vessels. The next challenge is equipment integration: the machinery that produces additional vibrations, such as huge pumps and engines, and the enormous pipe lines that run through the ship, inside and outside; the equipment that interacts with the water, like a draghead with suction pipe, a cutter ladder, bottom doors, and spud poles. 

This is what sets these projects apart, with more integration and more challenges. From our perspective, the dredger is a vessel built around its equipment.

“Considering all the aforementioned factors, imagine that both the basic and detail design processes were parallel, resulting in changes and modifications that came faster than we could incorporate from the previous input,” Vitalii adds.

“The schedule was extremely tight due to our Yard’s strict contract with the client. Moreover, at our company, we refrain from repeatedly reminding the general public about the war to avoid scaring away customers. While some of our engineers were able to relocate to safe areas or even abroad, the majority of my team, due to family circumstances, had to remain in the city. Throughout this project, the city experienced shelling, air raid alerts, attacks, unstable electricity, and distressing news from the front line and their friends. Despite these challenges, the project is now completed, although the schedule was slightly delayed due to new inputs and modifications. I cannot express how proud I am of my team. They made tremendous efforts under such difficult conditions that words alone cannot convey; it is an experience that must be lived through.”

“The second project involved a self-propelled trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) measuring 65m in length,” Vitalii continues. “Although shorter in length, the amount of equipment was significantly larger. This included not only main engines and bow thrusters but also a draghead, gantry, onboard pump, bottom doors, overflow system, bow coupling, sliding rails, two levels of pipelines, cranes, and foldable platforms. Furthermore, we had two sizable foldable masts where we integrated hydraulic cylinders. While this project introduced new hull construction to me, such as a hopper, I must admit it wasn’t my first encounter with a hopper. However, in the past, I had dealt with a hopper barge, which lacked equipment and integrations and consisted solely of steel. This Dredger provided me with unparalleled experience. I was involved in every detail, offering solutions to problems related to software, planning, quality control of the model, drawings, production, and communication with the customer and the builder. I participated in the development of moving parts and much more, making it difficult to summarize in a few words.”

“Considering all the aforementioned factors, imagine that both the basic and detail design processes were parallel, resulting in changes and modifications that came faster than we could incorporate from the previous input,” Vitalii adds. “The schedule was extremely tight due to our Yard’s strict contract with the client. Moreover, at our company, we refrain from repeatedly reminding the general public about the war to avoid scaring away customers. While some of our engineers were able to relocate to safe areas or even abroad, the majority of my team, due to family circumstances, had to remain in the city. Throughout this project, the city experienced shelling, air raid alerts, attacks, unstable electricity, and distressing news from the front line and their friends. Despite these challenges, the project is now completed, although the schedule was slightly delayed due to new inputs and modifications. I cannot express how proud I am of my team. They made tremendous efforts under such difficult conditions that words alone cannot convey; it is an experience that must be lived through.”