Arab Potash Receives Custom Dead Sea Workboat
ECTMarine has handed over a purpose-built vessel to Arab Potash Company for operations on brine evaporation ponds in Jordan.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Current Conditions
ECTMarine handed over the Custom Workboat 104 to Arab Potash Company in Jordan on November 5, 2026, after site acceptance testing on APC's brine evaporation ponds at the Dead Sea. The vessel was designed and built in the Netherlands to suit dense, highly saline brine at a site about 400 metres below sea level.
Why it matters
The workboat is tailored to the specific conditions of the Dead Sea, a setting where standard vessels may not perform reliably. Its role in dredging support, coastal maintenance, push and tow operations, and supply and logistics reflects the practical demands of running a potash evaporation operation.
Manufacturer-reported specifications give the Workboat 104 a 1-metre draught and 2-tonne bollard pull, with its factory acceptance test run over two days. Operational performance on the Dead Sea after handover has not yet been reported.
The players
ECTMarine
ECTMarine is the vessel builder that designed and delivered the Custom Workboat 104 to the customer.
Arab Potash Company
Arab Potash Company, known as APC, is the Jordanian potash producer that operates the brine evaporation ponds at the Dead Sea.
The details
The vessel was shipped on a flat rack and trucked along the dykes of APC's evaporation ponds to the launch point, where a mobile crane with a double spreader-bar rig lifted it into the brine. Adjustments agreed during its Netherlands factory acceptance test were completed before shipment.
Timeline
Summer 2026: Factory acceptance test completed in the Netherlands.
One week before handover: Site acceptance testing completed on APC's evaporation ponds.
November 5, 2026: Workboat handed over to Arab Potash Company.
Industrial Context
The Workboat 104 is a purpose-built design for dense, highly saline brine at a Dead Sea site about 400 metres below sea level, rather than an off-the-shelf hull adapted after the fact. Its suitability for standard flat-rack road transport reflects how such specialised vessels are delivered to remote industrial sites.
Readers working near the Dead Sea or in industrial logistics can note that the vessel's shallow 1-metre draught and 2-tonne bollard pull are relevant for shallow-water and coastal work. The design's flat-rack transportability also shows how specialised equipment can be moved to remote sites.
The takeaway
Custom vessels built to specific site conditions can be shipped, assembled, and tested on location, offering a model for equipment serving harsh industrial environments.
Further reading
For more on conditions shaping operations like this, see Current Conditions.
Source note: This article includes information reported by SWZ|Maritime.
