With the booming development of dredgers and the rapid advancement of science and technology, various dredging companies have developed different types of dredgers to meet the construction requirements of different projects. The dredgers commonly used in engineering projects can be divided into two main categories: mechanical and hydraulic. Mechanical dredgers primarily use excavating equipment for underwater excavation, utilizing the equipment itself for vertical lifting to achieve project objectives. These mainly include grab dredgers, bucket dredgers, and ladder dredgers. Hydraulic dredgers, on the other hand, use mechanical rotation to cut through the underwater soil layer, mixing the sediment with water to form a slurry of a certain concentration, which is then transported ashore through pipelines. These include suction dredgers, cutter suction dredgers, and trailing suction hopper dredgers. When selecting a dredger, the nature of the project and the meteorological, hydrological, and geographical conditions of the construction area should be considered.
In coastal and estuarine areas with strong winds and waves and without shelter, self-propelled trailing suction hopper dredgers are recommended; cutter suction dredgers with pipelines are commonly used in conjunction with reclamation projects; bucket dredgers are used for hard soil seabeds; and for small work areas, such as at the front of port wharves, grab dredgers are preferred. During dredging operations, it is essential to avoid obstructing the navigation of transport vessels, pay attention to safe operation, and ensure that all facilities are in good working order. The accurate position of the dredging area should be marked on-site, and water level signals, dredging and unloading area markers should be set up. Frequent depth measurements should be taken to improve the safety of the dredging operation.
