Artagnan News

While the marine industry is rife with rough working conditions, dredging operations arguably pose the toughest challenge to any class of marine equipment. Water lubricated Thordon Composite cutterhead shaft bearings have reportedly performed well for nine years on one of the largest cutter suction dredgers in the world –Dredging, Environmental and Marine Engineering N.V. (DEME)’s D’Artagnan (28,200 kW total installed power). The vessel had a major dry docking at Drydocks World-Dubai in February 2014 where the shaft was removed, and bearings and shaft inspected.

Water lubricated Thordon Composite cutterhead shaft bearings have performed well for nine years on one of the largest cutter suction dredgers in the world–Dredging, Environmental and Marine Engineering N.V. (DEME)’s D'Artagnan (28,200 kW total installed power). The vessel had a major dry docking at Drydocks World-Dubai in February 2014 where the shaft was removed, and bearings and shaft inspected. Originally built in 2005, the D'Artagnanself-propelled cutter suction dredgeris involved in very heavy rock-breaking having a cutting power for operations in rock soils of 6000 kW.

The D’Artagnan, the most powerful self-propelled heavy duty cutter suction dredger in the world, arrived at the Panama Canal January 11. Upon its arrival, the latest addition to the Panama Canal Authority’s (ACP) expansion dredging fleet then made its way to the Pacific entrance, which will ultimately link the new Pacific locks with the Canal’s existing Gaillard Cut (the narrowest stretch of the Panama Canal). The D’Artagnan, which is able to dredge hard rock locations that previously required drilling and blasting, will complete the dredging of the waterway’s Pacific entrance.

Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Administrator/CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta, joined by DEME Group CEO Alain Bernard, recently unveiled a model of the D'Artagnan dredger during a ceremony at the Panama Canal's Miraflores Visitors' Center.  The D'Artagnan is the most powerful self-propelled heavy duty cutter suction dredger in the world, with its special design for cutting rocks and sand dredging. Owned by Belgian company Dredging International (part of the DEME group), the D'Artagnan will be used in the expansion of the Panama Canal.

A vessel reported to be the most powerful self-propelled and ocean-going cutter suction dredger in the world was christened in Dunkirk, France. The 38,000 hp d’Artagnan is named after a character in Alexandre Dumas’ novel “The Three Musketeers.” Together with d’Artagnan, two auxiliary vessels, Aramis and Buckingham were also christened at the same ceremony. The three vessels will sail under French colors and are owned and operated by Société de Dragage International (SDI), the French subsidiary of Belgian Dredging, Environmental and Marine Engineering (DEME) Group. The importance of the event was revealed in the christeners of the naming ceremony. For d’Artagnan Mrs.