The cutter suction dredger Ibn Battuta was delivered in May 2010. The vessel is built at the Pula shipyard, Croatia, and is the first of series of four large self-propelled cutter suction dredgers.
Ibn Battuta is among the world's most powerful cutter suction dredgers. The soil it collects in a day is enough to fill 625,000 barrels.
The first dredge operator of Ibn Battuta controls the spuds, which are two tall cylinders. Having been dropped into the water, the gravity push them deep into the seabed.
Videos: Smithsonian Channel