Indonesian marine projects company Dua Samudera Perkasa has placed a recently acquired cutter suction dredger (CSD) into service. The non-self-propelled Jhoni 58 is currently performing maintenance dredging at the Port of Batulicin on the island of Kalimantan.
The main activities of the port relate to its important coal terminal. The busy access channel is therefore used by numerous coal barge transports. Due to continuous sedimentation of this channel, the CSD is required to maintain the navigational depth.
The dredger's key features include a 250kW cutter and a high-efficiency pump that can remove sediment and discharge it to a spoil field some 500 metres away. Dredging can be performed at depths as low as 16 metres.
All dredging controls are fitted in the operator's chair. The controls consist of two screens and easily recognisable buttons and levers. One touchscreen is located within reach at the righthand arm rest while a larger screen is at the dredge master’s feet.
Troubleshooting can be performed easily thanks to the evident schematic screen lay-out of the various systems on board. The builder said that, in the future, the system can be expanded easily by adding modules such as cutter automation and dredge pump automation. For now, the dredge master can, for instance, determine the swing width by entering a few digits and the dredger moves sideways automatically.
