Aegir Installs Cutterladder in Spartacus

Aegir, a deep water construction vessel owned by Heerema Marine Contractors, has successfully installed the 2,500-tonne cutterladder into the world’s most powerful Cutter Suction Dredger ‘Spartacus’.

The 164-meter long Spartacus will be the world’s first LNG-powered Cutter Suction Dredger built by Royal IHC for DEME, said a press release from the Netherlands-based marine contractor in the offshore oil and gas industry.

The 'Spartacus' was towed from IHC’s shipyard in Kinderdijk to the Caland Canal while the cutter ladder was transported by barge.

First, Aegir lifted the cutterladder from the barge with her dual crane blocks. ‘Spartacus’ was then moved into position and moored alongside Aegir.

The 57-meter long cutterladder was carefully lowered into position by rotating the ladder as well as shifting the ‘Spartacus’.

Clearances encountered during this process were as small as 24 mm. After the locking pins were engaged, the cutter ladder installation was completed.

‘Spartacus’ will now return to IHC for further construction activities. Aegir will soon depart Rotterdam to execute other projects in the North Sea.