First Damen Cutter Suction Dredger Under Construction in Azerbaijan

15 January 2025

The Damen CSD 650 modular design consists of a main pontoon and separate side pontoons. (Image credit: Damen)

Baku Shipyard is currently working on the construction of a Damen Cutter Suction Dredger (CSD) 650. The design of the dredger and its materials package has been delivered by Damen Shipyards Group. The dredger, which will be ready later this year, will be operated by the Port of Baku, a thriving transport hub on the western shore of the Caspian Sea.

While Baku Shipyard has built a wide array of vessels over time, this is the first cutter suction dredger to be built in Azerbaijan. All steelwork is being carried out by the yard according to the Damen design. The materials package delivered by Damen to the yard includes the main components, such as the dredge pump and the operating cabin, etc. The materials filled eleven trailers and two 40-foot containers. The CSD 650 is a stationary dredger designed to work at a dredging depth of between -3 m and -18 m. The 700 kW cutter power and 1,825 kW dredge pump power combined with the impressive 63 m swing width ensure efficient dredging operations.

The Damen CSD 650 is delivered as a design package with major components delivered by truck. (Image credit: Damen)

Mr. Alexander Shamray, Damen Sales Manager, explains: “We are very happy to work together with Baku Shipyard. The cooperation with the yard team is excellent, and that is reflected in the high quality of the dredger. The professional team has taken up the project brilliantly, and the quality of the output is impressive. We are delighted that the dredger is progressing the way it is, especially considering that it is the first yard that has been built. We are looking forward to the commissioning of the dredger and delivery to the Port of Baku.”

The well-equipped dredger, named Engineer Soltan Kazimov, will be performing maintenance dredging duties at the port. Accessibility is key here, particularly as, over the past five years, the water level in the Caspian Sea has significantly dropped. This, combined with the latest port expansion, ensures that dredging is a necessity to keep the various berths available for ever-increasing port traffic.

The first ever CSD under construction in Azerbaijan at Baku Shipyard. (Image credit: Damen)

Thanks to its strategic location, the Port of Baku has developed into a regional logistic center over the past years. Its east-west axis connects China by rail and road to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, while its north-south transport corridor extends towards the Persian Gulf.