On March 16, with on-site support from patrol vessels and the assistance of four high-powered tugboats, the world’s tallest piling vessel, Tie Jian Da Qiao Zhuang 1, successfully departed from the Nantong yard of Jiangsu Dajin Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., heading for sea trials in the East China Sea.

The vessel’s departure from the Yangtze River marks a key step toward its official delivery and entry into service.

The Tie Jian Da Qiao Zhuang 1 has an overall length of 130.5 meters and a beam of 40.8 meters. During towing, it stands approximately 50.85 meters above the waterline. It is currently the world’s tallest piling vessel, with the highest piling frame, the greatest lifting capacity for piles, and the deepest operational water depth. It is also the first piling vessel in China to feature a dynamic positioning system while meeting all three world-class performance benchmarks.

The vessel is designed to meet piling operation requirements in international offshore, coastal, and inland Class A waters, and is capable of unrestricted deployment. It will primarily be used in major engineering projects, including the installation of steel casing piles for bridges and foundations for offshore wind power installations.

To ensure the safety of the towing operation and sea trials, the Nantong Maritime Safety Administration intervened early, establishing a “point-to-point” coordination mechanism and organizing multiple pre-departure meetings to refine navigation support plans and emergency response measures.

At the same time, experienced personnel were assigned to conduct comprehensive pre-sailing inspections, focusing on towing equipment, emergency systems, and firefighting and lifesaving facilities, while strictly verifying crew qualifications and operational readiness.

Before departure, enforcement officers were stationed at the dock to carry out on-site checks of mooring arrangements and emergency preparedness, using drones and CCTV to monitor traffic conditions across the waters. During the sea trials, authorities implemented real-time monitoring throughout the process using systems such as AIS and VTS, and deployed patrol vessels to maintain on-site vigilance and manage marine traffic in key areas, ensuring the vessel’s safe and efficient passage out to sea.

According to reports, the sea trials will primarily focus on testing the vessel’s safety and emergency systems, as well as specialized piling operation systems. The vessel is expected to be used mainly for construction projects such as bridge steel casing piles and offshore wind turbine foundations.