World's First Self-Propelled Immersed Tube Transport-Installation Ship Debuts in Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge Construction

The first immersed tube of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge, site of the world's first eight-lane cased immersed tunnel with double directions, was submerged in a 34-hour operation on June 17.

The world's first self-propelling ship which is capable of transport and installation of immersed tubes was used in the construction.

The application of the ship marks that engineering of the underwater immersed tunnel has stepped into an era of intelligentization. It also signals that the cross-sea tunnel technology has improved to a new level.

The project was contracted by China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC).

Weighing about 60,000 tons, the first immersed tube is 123.5 meters long, 46 meters wide and 10.6 meters in height, and has a volume equal to that of a medium-sized aircraft carrier.

To guarantee a successful docking of the immersed tube, the company collected and measured 205 risk points of 13 types over more than two years.

Before the installation, three no-load tests and one heavy-duty test were also conducted.

A major project of China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) and a crucial cross-river passage in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge is about 24 kilometers in length. Consisting of 32 tubes, the immersed tunnel is about 6.8 kilometers, and ranks as the world's longest and widest cased concrete immersed tunnel.

The progress of the project demonstrated CCCC's integrated capacity of cross-sea bridge design and engineering.

The project is divided into several parts including overall design, surveying and design of the bridge and immersed tunnel, engineering supervision, design and construction of the artificial island and processing and installation of the immersed tubes, as well as waterway dredging and foundation building, which are shouldered by different subsidiaries of CCCC.

A view of the installation site of the first immersed tube of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge's tunnel section [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

A view of the installation site of the first immersed tube of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge's tunnel section [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)