China's Proprietary Ultra-Large Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger Tong Jun Successfully Completes Sea Trials

SHANGHAI, Nov. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 25, the Tong Jun, a 35,000-cubic-meter ultra-large trailing suction hopper dredger built by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC) for CCCC Tianjin Dredging Co., Ltd., successfully completed sailing and dredging sea trials in the Yellow Sea before returning to berth at ZPMC Qidong Marine Engineering's shipyard.

During the five-day trials, the vessel's key systems—including propulsion, dredging equipment, and navigation and communication systems—underwent comprehensive testing, with all results meeting design specifications. The two 9,000-kilowatt submerged dredge pumps demonstrated strong performance, enabling long-distance slurry discharge operations of up to 12 kilometers. A single load of dredged material can raise the surface of a standard football field by five meters, illustrating the vessel's high cutting power, long-distance transport, and extended discharge capabilities. 

Even under complex sea conditions, the Tong Jun validated its advanced features—intelligent operation, high efficiency, versatility, and environmentally responsible design—with all key performance indicators meeting or exceeding design targets. The successful trials highlight China's independent R&D and construction expertise in large-scale dredging equipment and provide strong technical support for the national dredging, waterway infrastructure and marine engineering projects. 

The Tong Jun is a large intelligent dredging vessel independently researched and designed in China. Measuring 198 meters in length and 38.5 meters in beam, with a maximum dredging depth of 120 meters, it has the largest hopper capacity in Asia and the second largest worldwide. The vessel incorporates multiple core technologies, including the One-Touch Dredging system, an integrated dredging-piloting-surveying platform, a hybrid twin-drive propulsion system, and an intelligent energy-efficiency management system. It includes provisions for future methanol dual-fuel integration. With strengths in efficient dredging, precise slurry discharge, and deep-water operations, the Tong Jun can be applied broadly across major projects including port and waterway construction, deep-sea dredging, and land reclamation.