Recently, the first overseas shipbuilding project undertaken by Northwest Institute—the Ecuador dredger and auxiliary vessel project—successfully rolled off the production line at the Yanliang Production Base in Shaanxi.

The dredger is 21 meters long and adopts an advanced shore-power-on-board mode. It is equipped with a 900-cubic-meter high-power cutter suction pump, 10 pure electric winches, and 2 azimuth thrusters. The workboat is 16 meters long and is equipped with a 130 kW generator, a 1-ton crane, 2 azimuth thrusters, and a multibeam scanning system. Both vessels feature a high degree of automation, enabling real-time data sharing between vessel and vessel as well as between vessel and shore. They also possess automatic detection and positioning dredging functions, providing efficient and precise support for daily operations. Both vessels are fully certified by the Italian classification society RINA (Registro Italiano Navale) and will in the future be deployed to the reservoir of the Coca Codo Sinclair (CCS) hydropower station, where they will effectively safeguard reservoir safety, improve water quality and the environment, and optimize water resource utilization.

The overall construction of the project's hulls officially began in May 2024 at the Yanliang Production Base of Northwest Institute's Port and Waterway Ship Company. During construction, the team overcame numerous difficulties, upheld the firm belief of "unfazed by scorching sun, wind, and snow, forging fine products through day-and-night efforts," strictly followed international standards and customer requirements, and meticulously completed hull construction, inspection, and other tasks, ensuring high-quality project delivery.