China-developed pile-driving vessel heads to Brazil for bridge project

A China-developed pile-driving ship departed from a port in east China's Jiangsu Province on Sunday and is heading for Brazil, where it will take part in the building of a cross-sea bridge.

The vessel, built by China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group, will support the construction of the Salvador-Itaparica Bridge on Brazil's northeastern coast.

Crossing the Bay of All Saints in the state of Bahia, the bridge will have a main span of 682 meters. The project totals 46.8 kilometers, including a 12.4-kilometer cross-sea section. The main pile foundation construction area has a water depth of 64 meters and complex marine geological conditions, posing significant engineering challenges.

With an operating water depth of 70 meters, a 156-meter pile frame and a pile-lifting capacity of 700 tonnes, the ship features the world's highest pile frame, largest pile-lifting capacity and deepest operating water depth among pile-driving vessels, according to the company.

The ship combines dynamic positioning with anchor mooring to help keep it steady during construction. The system monitors wind, waves, currents and the vessel's orientation in real time and automatically adjusts thrust to stabilize the ship, according to China Railway Construction.

It will sail through the Strait of Malacca and around the Cape of Good Hope into the South Atlantic, and is expected to arrive off Brazil's northeastern coast after a voyage of about 45 days.

Once the bridge opens to traffic, travel time between Salvador, the capital of Bahia state, and Vera Cruz on Itaparica Island is expected to fall from roughly one hour by ferry to around 15 minutes by road, according to the company. Transport time for goods produced in western Bahia is also expected to be reduced.

(With input from Xinhua)