On August 13th, Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard (GWS), a subsidiary of Guangzhou Shipbuilding International (GSI) under China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), delivered the vessel “Qunli” to Shanghai Salvage Bureau of the Ministry of Transport.
On August 12, “Qunli” set sail for sea trials, and on August 13, “Qunli” had completed the tests of speed measurement, heading stability, steering, stopping, navigation system, DP performance, etc. During the whole trial voyage, “Qunli” demonstrated excellent performance and stability.
It is reported that “Qunli” vessel is independently developed and designed by China, with a length of 132.6 meters, a beam of 42 meters, a depth of 9 meters. Classed by China Classification Society (CCS), it has a crew of 220, a self-sustainability of 20 days, a range of 3,600 nautical miles, and is suitable for navigation in unlimited navigable area.
The vessel is equipped with four 90-meter long cylindrical pile legs and hydraulic pin lifting system, with a maximum lifting capacity of 5,600 tons of single pile, which can realize self-lifting in offshore waters. It has a maximum operating depth of 52.5 meters and a variable load of 5,000 tons.
The vessel is capable of lifting, carrying, engineering work and living and other rescue and salvage operations and support functions. The vessel can carry out operations such as equipment salvage, overall salvage of small shipwrecks, auxiliary salvage of large shipwrecks, unloading of shipwrecked cargo and unloading of oil in tanks.
In addition, the vessel can provide life support for on-site operators, and can also be used for offshore wind farm wind power transportation and installation, taking into account platform maintenance, life support and other tasks.
GWS won the bidding for the upgrading project of “Qunli” in June 2023. “Qunli” is a pile-inserted rescue and salvage vessel, and GWS has carried out the conversion works such as 350-ton crane retrofitting, 800-ton main crane retrofitting, and pile leg lengthening, etc.
It is understood that the repair of GWS enables “Qunli” to take up more difficult tasks, providing a solid guarantee for the deep-sea salvage and ocean engineering business of Shanghai Salvage Bureau of the Ministry of Transport.