Initially, the deadline for this project was the fall of 2018. But the need for more coal was so high that Taiwan Power Company gave the instruction in October 2017 to shorten the deadline by half a year. Together with client Hung Hua, we researched a solution: a large hopper dredger would extract the material pre-cut by the suction cutter and then discharge it in Taipei Port. Such a hopper dredger is a lot bigger than a split barge and can tackle heavier weather conditions. Suction cutter Niccolò Machiavelli took on this task, assisted by the Vasco da Gama and later the Vitus Bering. We reused the dredging spoils immediately to create additional land in the nearby Taipei Port.
