6000m3h capacity cutter suction dredger working in the sea
Cutter suction dredger working in the sea with 14m dredging depth
Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, launched a strategic initiative to build a destroyer naval base near the city to ensure national security. As part of the project, dredging work needed to be carried out in the harbor area. However, the seabed was covered with large expanses of hard coral reefs, and the project faced an extremely tight schedule. The previously leased Dutch IHC dredger, with its limited cutter power, was unable to cope with the complex geology, leaving the technical engineers at AI Dafra in a difficult position.
To tackle these challenges, AI Dafra conducted extensive preliminary investigations and research. Failure to resolve both the high-hardness terrain and the strict timeline would seriously affect the naval base's construction.
AI Dafra's technical team held multiple rounds of intense discussions, evaluating technical proposals from several renowned domestic and international dredger manufacturers. Among them, HID Shipyard stood out with its advanced and innovative solution. AI Dafra then invited HID Shipyard’s technical experts to Abu Dhabi for an on-site inspection and to develop a customized solution tailored to the actual working conditions. After comprehensive evaluation, AI Dafra chose to collaborate with HID Shipyard, whose production scale and technical advantages proved superior.
Over five months of meticulous manufacturing, HID Shipyard developed a 700kW wear-resistant alloy cutter head specifically designed for high-hardness coral reef conditions. The design included reinforced grid structures and special flow channels, effectively solving the challenges posed by the tough terrain. To ensure on-time delivery and support the client’s smooth operations, HID Shipyard launched a 24/7 tracking plan with dedicated personnel providing daily progress updates.
After project completion, AI Dafra commented: "From manufacturing to delivery, HID provided a 24/7 tracking system that gave us great peace of mind. Continuous progress updates ensured safety throughout the process. HID fulfilled its delivery commitment, helped us meet our excavation deadlines, and offered full-service support and turnkey delivery, ensuring the dredger was launched and operated successfully."
Prior to this project, HID Shipyard had already delivered two sister vessels—HID 6024 CSD. The repeat order from the UAE client reflects their satisfaction with the construction quality and performance of the vessels, and it marks a significant step forward in HID Shipyard’s capabilities in designing and manufacturing world-class dredging vessels and equipment.
