ECTMarine delivers a purpose-designed workboat to support operations at Arab Potash Company’s Dead Sea brine evaporation ponds
Dutch marine engineering company ECTMarine has handed over a purpose-built Custom Workboat 104 to Arab Potash Company (APC) in Jordan following the successful completion of site acceptance testing (SAT) at the Dead Sea.
The testing was completed last week at APC’s brine evaporation ponds, with Alghanem, APC’s main contractor, representing the company on site.
Designed and built in the Netherlands, the Custom Workboat 104 has been specifically engineered to operate in the challenging environment of the Dead Sea. The location presents unique operational requirements due to the high density and salinity of the brine, as well as the site’s position approximately 400 metres below sea level.
The Custom Workboat 104 features a forward wheelhouse, an open working deck and a Hiab knuckle-boom deck crane. ECTMarine designed the vessel around APC’s operational requirements, with a hull and deck layout suitable for road transport on a standard flat rack.
“The Dead Sea is not a normal place to operate a boat. The brine is extremely dense and corrosive, the site is remote, and the vessel has to be moved by road and lifted in by crane. We needed a workboat built around those conditions and around the tasks APC performs on the ponds. ECTMarine took the time to understand that before they started designing,” explained Abdallah Ghammaz, Project Manager at Alghanem.
The vessel completed its factory acceptance test in the Netherlands in summer 2026. During a two-day programme, a delegation representing the buyer witnessed a sea trial and demonstrations of the vessel’s systems, operating modes and configurations.
The workboat was shipped to Jordan on a flat rack and trucked along the dykes of APC’s evaporation ponds to the launch point. There, a mobile crane with a double spreader-bar rig lifted it from the trailer into the brine.
ECTMarine, Alghanem and APC jointly conducted the testing, testing the vessel’s propulsion, deck crane and onboard systems under operating conditions. Following successful completion of the tests, the workboat is ready to enter service.
ECTMarine, Alghanem and Arab Potash Company (APC) jointly conducted the acceptance testing, assessing the vessel’s propulsion system, deck crane and onboard systems under operational conditions. Following the successful completion of the tests, the Custom Workboat 104 is ready to enter service.
“The SAT confirmed that the vessel does what it was designed to do, in the real conditions on the ponds. Seeing it float in the brine for the first time and then pass every test was a proud moment for everyone involved. The workboat will now go into daily service for APC, and we look forward to seeing it at work,” added Ghammaz.
The project reflects ECTMarine’s approach to custom vessel design, with the vessel’s configuration tailored to its operating environment, transport requirements and intended use. ECTMarine will continue to support APC and Alghanem as the workboat enters service.
