ZPMC Launches World’s Largest Pile-Driving Vessel, The Erhang Changqing

The Chinese state-owned engineering company and the world’s largest manufacturer of cranes and large steel structures, ZPMC, has launched the Erhang Changqing, the world’s largest pile-driving vessel.

The vessel is 430 feet long and has a 500-foot tall derrick at the stern.

The Erhang Changqing is designed to drive massive piles, with the capacity to handle a 22-foot wide, 700-tonne pile using a force of 5,000 tonnes. ZPMC’s advanced position system ensures incredible precision, placing piles within just a few centimeters of their designated location on the seabed.

The former record holder for ZPMC, Yi Hang Jin Zhuang, was delivered to CCCC First Harbor Engineering in 2022.

While its derrick is slightly shorter and can handle a smaller pile diameter, both vessels reflect ZPMC’s commitment to excellence.

The Yi Hang Jin Zhuang was built with attachment points between the derrick and hull that had to meet a strict tolerance of just two millimeters, requiring meticulous planning and welding.

These vessels are essential for offshore construction projects, including the installation of offshore wind turbine piles and jacket piles for offshore structures.

China leads the production of large offshore wind turbines worldwide, making these giant vessels essential for foundation and turbine installations.

They are also used for heavy civil works like bridge construction. The Yi Hang Jin Zhuang was crucial in a bridge foundation reinforcement project in Xiangshan, Zhejiang Province, in early 2023.

Besides pile-driving vessels, ZPMC is also working on the world’s largest Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit, the N1151 (P-82), which is set for installation in Brazil for oil giant Petrobras.

The first hall of the FPSO’s hull was launched earlier this year.

Reference: Port News