‘Magic island-maker’: China unveils Asia’s largest cutting-edge dredger amid territorial rows, by RT.

China has floated out a giant island-building vessel, which has been called “a magic island-maker” by its designer and is considered the most powerful vessel of its type in Asia.

The launch comes amid ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea. …

The vessel, with a deck as long as five basketball courts, 140 meters, can smash underwater rocks and then suck out sand, water, and mud, and transfer the substance up to 15 kilometers away. It can dredge up to 6,000 cubic meters (around two and half Olympic swimming pools) an hour from a depth of up to 35 meters.

hat-tip Stephen Neil