Chapter 581 Find a Dredger

Ship maintenance isn't something that can be completed in a couple of days. For a ship this large, even if the crew on the Calypsope were all skilled, the process would still take about a week. Furthermore, Xiao Peng had another major project under his belt, and now Fabian had taken Duan Bo to the Netherlands.

They went to the 'IHC' shipyard in the Netherlands.

There was a time when China's "island-building artifact" captured the attention of the entire Internet.

The so-called "island-building artifact" is the "Tian Kun" cutter suction dredger. That giant has already "blown" out eight islands in the South China Sea.

In fact, this type of dredging vessel that can dredge waterways and pump sand to build islands is not a Chinese patent. To be precise, it is a type of vessel that foreigners have been developing for a long time. However, due to the long-term technological blockade, China did not have the opportunity to access the technology of this type of vessel until it entered the WTO. From the earliest "Hangjiao 2001" to the later "Tianshi", "Yuda No. 1" and "Tianqi", China has been groping and producing it.

It was not until 2008 that China cooperated with Germany to build the "Tianjing" cutter suction dredger. This largest cutter suction dredger in Asia, which was launched in 2010, began island building operations in the South China Sea.

A few years later, after China had mastered the technology of the cutter suction dredge, the enhanced version of the "Tian Kun" was launched. Of course, the new "No. 1 in Asia" was born.

But the Tiankun isn't the world's best. Cutter suction dredge technology has been developed much longer abroad, and many major players, such as the Netherlands' IHC Group and Verolme Shipyard, and Croatia's Uljanik Brodogradiliste Group, are experts in producing cutter suction dredges.

Of course, we can't forget to mention the Luxembourg-based Jan De Nul Group, a giant in the dredging industry, much like Odyssey in deep-sea salvage. Several of the world's largest dredgers are owned by the Jan De Nul Group. However, their position won't last long. China is currently developing a nuclear-powered dredger. If that company were to succeed, it would undoubtedly become the world's number one.

According to a certain public intellectual who likes to hold a fan, China's warship production is "warmongering" and manufacturing large dredgers is a waste of taxpayers' money.

It's interesting to see how those who pay taxes to foreign countries are more concerned about the flow of funds for domestic taxpayers. Without these large dredgers, who knows what the situation would be like in the South China Sea right now.

The Chinese people have taught the whole world a vivid lesson on what it means to "set aside disputes when poor and maintain stability from ancient times when rich."

Which country in the South China Sea doesn't want to dredge sand and build islands like China? They also want to, but it's too expensive and they can't afford it.

First, let's talk about these large dredgers. Except for China, other countries sell them for a very high price. Any single one can sell for over a billion US dollars, which is enough to organize a small fleet of warships! Not to mention the subsequent maintenance and operating costs. Maintaining one of these things is almost the same as maintaining a small aircraft carrier.

Furthermore, island construction requires more than just a single dredger; it requires a full fleet of service vessels and construction teams. It requires a large number of skilled workers and large quantities of concrete. Furthermore, the water-based sand used in this concrete cannot be sourced from the sea; it must be transported from land. The amount of earth, stone, and concrete consumed for an island of just a few square kilometers is measured in the billions. How much manpower, material resources, and transport vessels would that require?

These transport ships require costs, and considerations also include navigation safety and weather conditions. For example, building Yongshu Island in the South China Sea cost approximately 50 billion RMB, and that's in China! If it were another country, it would likely cost 50 billion US dollars!

Of course, they can opt for island-building services instead of ships. Many countries around the world offer this service, including the Netherlands' IHC Group, Royal Boskalis Westminster, and Luxembourg's Jan De Noor Group. However, these services are more expensive, starting at tens of billions for a small island. Want to build an island with a large airport? Consider your country's financial resources.

To be honest, building such an island could easily bring down a small country!

Why did Fabian take Duan Bo and others to the Dutch shipbuilding company 'IHC'? To rent a small trailing suction hopper dredger.

There are many types of dredgers. Cutter-suction dredgers, like the "Tianjing" and "Tiankun," use a rotary reamer mounted on the front of a suction pipe to cut and stir the sediment on the seabed before extracting it through a suction pipe. Other types of dredgers include bucket-wheel dredgers, bucket dredgers, suction dredgers, and bucket-wheel dredgers. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages.

While some of the world's largest dredgers are cutter suction dredgers, they are not without drawbacks, such as poor self-propulsion, poor maneuverability, complex anchoring operations requiring support vessels, limited dredging depths, and short working distances. However, they are ideal for island construction. Therefore, all large dredgers are cutter suction dredgers.

For Xiao Peng's next job, a 'cutter suction dredger' is not suitable. What he needs is a 'trailing suction dredger'.

As the name suggests, a cutter suction dredger has a reamer at the front of its suction pipe, which breaks up the sediment on the seabed before sucking it out. A trailing suction dredger, on the other hand, has rakes on the sides and stern of the hull, which dig deep into the seabed while sucking up the sediment. It is suitable for working in soft soils.

Based on the shipwreck Xiao Peng had found, a small trailing suction dredger with a capacity of less than 4,000 cubic meters would be sufficient. He had asked Fabian to go there and rent one.

The reason for letting him go to negotiate is very simple, because this time only the ship is rented and not the people, so it is better to let Fabian come forward for such matters!

And Xiao Peng is also busy now.

What is he busy with? He sits in front of the computer and stares blankly every day.

But this time he was not playing games, but checking the 'almanac' he found on the Internet.

Pascal saw this scene and said to Walter, "The longer I spend with Xiao Peng, the more I realize I don't understand the Chinese. You say there are so many gods and Buddhas and so many temples in China, but the Chinese all claim to be atheists. Look at Xiao. Whenever he encounters something, he first consults the so-called 'almanac' and burns paper for his ancestors during festivals. And then he claims to be an atheist! What kind of person is that?"

Xiao Peng glared at me and said, "This isn't a religious belief. I'm upholding my national tradition."

Pascal nodded. "Okay, I see. The Chinese simply mix their national traditions with their religious beliefs. So, what have you learned from studying the almanac all this time?"

Xiao Peng threw away the mouse and sighed, "What else can I say? This is a bad year!"