On November 25, the “Tong Jun,” a 35,000 cubic meter class ultra-large trailing suction hopper dredger built by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Group (ZPMC) for CCCC Tianjin Dredging Co., Ltd., successfully completed its sea trials and dredging tests in the Yellow Sea of China, and smoothly returned to dock at the ZPMC Offshore Engineering Base.
The “Tong Jun” is a large, intelligent dredging equipment independently researched, developed, and designed in China. It has an overall length of 198 meters, a beam of 38.5 meters, a depth of 18 meters, a maximum dredging depth of 120 meters, and a maximum hopper capacity of 35,000 cubic meters, ranking first in Asia for its hopper capacity. The vessel was centrally planned and constructed by CCCC Dredging, which also handled the conceptual design. CCCC Tianjin Dredging Co., Ltd. invested in and led the design and construction. The National Engineering Research Center for Dredging Technology and Equipment of CCCC was responsible for the EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) contract and the development of the intelligent dredging system. The Marine Design & Research Institute of China (708 Institute) handled the design, and Zhenhua Heavy Industries was the builder.
The vessel integrates several core technologies, including the “One-Click Dredging” and “Integrated Dredging, Navigation, and Surveying” intelligent systems, a “One-Drags-Two” composite power drive system, and an intelligent energy efficiency management system. It requires only one crew member to complete all navigation and construction tasks, truly achieving fully automatic control of dredging operations, with its intelligent control system reaching internationally leading levels. Under normal construction conditions, the vessel can completely fill its hopper within 90 minutes, demonstrating world-leading loading efficiency. Its total deadweight is nearly 60,000 tons, comparable to the displacement of the aircraft carrier “Liaoning.”
The “Tong Jun” is pre-equipped for a methanol dual-fuel power system and possesses advantages such as high-efficiency dredging, precise mud discharge, and deep-water operation capabilities. Its intelligent operation modes cover the entire “dredging-transporting-discharging” chain. In the future, it can be widely applicable to construction scenarios including port and waterway dredging, deep-sea sand extraction, reclamation, deep-sea mining, trench excavation and backfilling, rubble bed preparation, and deep-sea pipeline laying.
Since the commencement of the project, Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Group, in collaboration with CCCC Tianjin Dredging Co., Ltd., CCCC Dredging, the Marine Design & Research Institute of China (708 Institute), and other units, has overcome numerous technical challenges, strictly controlled construction quality and progress, and ensured that all performance indicators of the vessel meet the design requirements. During these sea trials, the Nantong Maritime Safety Administration and the Chongming Maritime Safety Administration provided safety supervision and navigation support. Throughout the trials, the vessel’s key systems, including the power system, dredging equipment, and /communication systems, underwent comprehensive testing. Its advanced features characterized by “intelligence, efficiency, versatility, and environmental protection” were fully verified, with all key indicators meeting or exceeding the design standards.
