Bakker Sliedrecht Works on the World’s Largest Cutter Suction Dredger

Bakker Sliedrecht – designer and producer of electric machines and equipment – is now part of the mega-project to build the world’s largest cutter suction dredger for Jan De Nul Group.

The company has been involved in this project from the very beginning, brainstorming with Jan De Nul about the electrical configurations.

At the moment, Bakker Sliedrecht is working on the drive systems and auxiliary switchboards for the world’s largest CSD, the JDN 8069, under construction at Croatian shipbuilder Uljanik.

JDN 8069 will be equipped with very powerful drive systems of 8.500 kW, making the new vessel significantly stronger than existing cutter suction dredgers. The powerful drive system will crushes rock faster and increase productivity.

The company is engineering, delivering and commissioning four high voltage drive systems for the vessel:

• ​2 inboard pump drive systems of 8500 kW;
• Submerged pump drive system of 8500 kW;
• Cutter/propulsion drive system of 8500 kW.

One drive system will power both the cutter and the propulsion since both applications are never used at the same time, thus saving space on board.

Four additional drive systems are being built by Bakker Sliedrecht to power all winches, pumps, and other auxiliaries. The scope also consists of multiple water-jacket-cooled electric motors; all to undergo a heat run test before installation.

Both the high voltage and low voltage systems are being built to resist the vessel’s heavy vibrations by using heavy duty vibration damping material.

All drive systems and switchboards are undergoing a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) at the testing facility of Bakker Sliedrecht, after which they will be shipped to Croatia for installation on board the vessel. The company will take care of the commissioning on site at a later stage.

The vessel will be delivered in February 2017.