en.Wedoany.com Reported - Recently, the "Junguang," Asia's largest trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) built by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (ZPMC) for CCCC Guangzhou Dredging Company, was officially commissioned and put into operation at Guangzhou Port, marking a new stage for China's high-end dredging equipment, characterized by "ultra-large hopper capacity + full-process intelligence + green and low-carbon."
A trailing suction hopper dredger is a marine engineering vessel integrating four functions: "dredging, transport, carrying, and reclamation." Its operating principle involves a drag arm on the side or stern descending to the seabed, using high-pressure water jets to break up sediment, which is then sucked into the hopper by powerful dredge pumps. The newly commissioned "Junguang" is China's "first-of-class" and "parent vessel" for the 35,000 cubic meter hopper capacity class TSHD. It has a length of 198 meters, a molded breadth of 38.5 meters, a molded depth of 18 meters, a maximum dredging depth of 120 meters, a total deadweight of 60,483 tons, and a maximum hopper capacity of 38,528 cubic meters, ranking second globally and first in Asia. It represents a generational leap for domestically produced TSHDs and is the pinnacle of Asian trailing suction hopper dredgers.
As a giant TSHD embodying the four major characteristics of "intelligence, efficiency, versatility, and environmental protection," the "Junguang" is the latest achievement in China's independent innovation of high-end marine engineering equipment. It possesses world-leading top-tier performance in "strong seabed penetration, deep dredging, long transport distance, and long pumping distance," making it an "all-round player" in the dredging field. The vessel is equipped with the world's first adjustable-angle double bow jet system; its draghead can reach a maximum depth of approximately 120 meters on the seabed, and its pumping distance exceeds 12 kilometers, greatly expanding the operational radius and improving operational efficiency by over 20%.
As a new-generation TSHD featuring "intelligent navigation + intelligent operation," the "Junguang" is equipped with China's self-developed "one-click dredging" and "integrated dredging and navigation" intelligent control systems, achieving fully automated control of the entire dredging process without excessive manual intervention, ensuring both precise dredging and efficient operation.
Furthermore, the vessel has unrestricted global navigation capability and can operate stably in sea state conditions up to Force 8 winds and waves. Under normal construction conditions, it can fill its entire hopper in 90 minutes, with loading efficiency consistently at a world-leading level. The reclamation volume from a single shipload can raise a standard football field by 5 meters. Its "one-drag-two" compound drive system further optimizes energy consumption, making it a more efficient, intelligent, and green "island-building marvel." It will be widely applicable to various marine construction scenarios, including port and waterway dredging, deep-sea sand extraction, hydraulic reclamation and land creation, deep-sea mining, trench excavation and backfilling, gravel bedding, and deep-sea pipeline laying, demonstrating formidable operational strength.
Following its commissioning, the "Junguang" will be immediately deployed for major projects such as the 200,000-tonne waterway of Guangzhou Port and the Phase V project of the Nansha Port Area of Guangzhou Port. Upon completion of these projects, the maritime "main artery" of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will be fully opened, allowing the world's largest container ships to freely enter and exit the Nansha Port Area, significantly enhancing the global competitiveness of Guangzhou Port as an international shipping hub and injecting strong momentum into the high-quality development of Guangdong Province's marine economy.
The successful commissioning of the "Junguang" is not only a significant embodiment of CCCC's commitment to the independent and controllable development of "pillars of a great power" and its leadership in industry innovation, but also a crucial milestone in propelling China's marine engineering equipment towards high-end, intelligent, and green development, and achieving technological self-reliance and strength. In the future, this "new trump card" of China's dredging fleet will cleave through waves and navigate the deep blue, contributing solid strength to the development of China's maritime endeavors and the implementation of national strategies across broader sea areas.
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