New Vessels – July 7, 2008
Cristóbal Colón is the world’s largest trailing suction hopper dredger. Nineteen months after placing the order of the trailing suction hopper dredger Cristóbal Colón with Construcciones Navales del Norte in Sestao, Spain, the vessel was launched on July 4th.
This mega trailing suction hopper dredger, with a hopper capacity of 46,000m3, is by far the largest of its type, being almost 40 per cent larger than the 33,000m3 Vasco da Gama.
The vessel is equipped with two suction pipes, with a diameter of 1,300mm, and equipped with electrically driven underwater dredge pumps, with a power of 6,500kW each, enabling dredging at depths of up to 155m.
Discharging is possible by means of two electrically-driven shore discharge dredge pumps, with each 8,000kW.
Fully loaded, carrying up to 78,000 tons of sand, Cristóbal Colón will sail at a speed of 18 knots.
Now that Cristóbal Colón is launched, construction of its twin vessel, Leiv Eiriksson, can start. Delivery of the vessel is foreseen in 2009.