CN109415883B

CN109415883B - Ship with spud-bar assembly

Info

Publication number: CN109415883B
Application number: CN201780024877.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: C·D·坎普
Original assignee: Boscaris Dredging Co ltd
Current assignee: Boscaris Dredging Co ltd
Priority date: 2016-04-22
Filing date: 2017-04-07
Publication date: 2021-07-16
Anticipated expiration: 2037-04-07
Also published as: CN109415883A; SG11201808634QA; WO2017183961A1; EP3445917B1; HRP20201669T1; ES2834063T3; NL2016661B1; NL2016661A; EP3445917A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a dredging vessel (1) with a spud-pile assembly comprising a base frame (21); a spud bar support (61) pivotally connected to the base frame; a spud bar (60) guided by the spud bar holder; a first hydraulic cylinder (78) pivotally connected at a first side thereof to the base frame and pivotally connected at a second side thereof to the spud bar support for pivotally positioning the spud bar relative to the base frame; and a clamping assembly (90) for clamping the spud bar, which is operatively connected to a first side of the first hydraulic cylinder, wherein the spud bar assembly has a lifting mode, wherein a first time of the first hydraulic cylinder is moved relative to the spud bar, such that extension or retraction of the first hydraulic cylinder is lowered and the operatively connected clamping assembly is lifted relative to the base frame.

Description

Ship with spud-bar assembly

Background

The invention relates to a vessel with spud bars, such as a dredging vessel. The spud rods form anchoring points in the seabed directly below the dredging vessel. The spud is guided by the spud carrier and connected to the hoisting system. During normal operation, the spud shaft is frequently lowered and retracted by the lifting system. When the dredging operation is completed, the spud rods are fully retracted and turned downwards to the deck in a horizontal position.

For such a dredger it is necessary that the spud-beam can be retracted all the time, for example in unexpected weather and sea conditions. However, the lifting system may fail in practice. In the event of a failure, the spud-bar may become bent, requiring replacement.

The object of the present invention is to provide an additional device for a dredging vessel with a spud shank for retracting or lifting the spud shank.

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect, the invention provides a vessel comprising a hull and a spud-stem assembly, wherein the spud-stem assembly comprises: a base frame; a spud bar support pivotally connected to the base frame; an elongated spud bar guided by the spud bar support in its elongated direction relative to the hull to be lifted and lowered; a first hydraulic cylinder pivotally connected at a first side thereof to the base frame and pivotally connected at an operatively opposite second side thereof to the spud bar support for pivotally positioning the spud bar support and spud bar relative to the base frame; and a clamp assembly that clamps the spud bar, the clamp assembly being operatively connected to the first side of the first hydraulic cylinder, wherein the spud bar assembly is switchable between a tilt mode and a lift mode, wherein in the tilt mode a pivot position between the first side of the hydraulic cylinder and the spud bar support is fixed relative to the spud bar support, such that extension and retraction of the first hydraulic cylinder can pivot the spud bar support and the spud bar relative to the base frame, and wherein in the lift mode the pivot between the first side of the hydraulic cylinder and the spud bar support can be moved relative to the spud bar support, such that extension or retraction of the first hydraulic cylinder lowers or lifts the operatively connected clamp assembly relative to the base frame.

The dredging vessel according to the invention comprises a spud-stick carrier, which is pivoted by the first hydraulic cylinder in the tipping mode. The presence of the first hydraulic cylinder enables the spud-bar to be turned downwards after its complete retraction. In the lifting mode, the first hydraulic cylinder is used to lower and lift the clamping assembly, as well as to position the pile rod. In this way, the same first hydraulic cylinder effectively forms the main part (mayor) of the backup device to retract the spud bar in case of failure of the primary lifting device.

In an embodiment, the clamping assembly is operatively connected to the first side of the first hydraulic cylinder by a first hoisting cable, wherein the first hoisting cable is guided along a hoisting pulley on the spud-bar carrier, wherein the hoisting pulley is located above the clamping assembly and the first side of the first hydraulic cylinder. The hoist cable forms a direct connection between the hydraulic cylinder and the clamp assembly. When the first lifting rope is not used, it can be suspended loosely.

In one embodiment, the spud-bar assembly comprises: a first rail connected to the spud bar support; a slider slidable along the first rail; and a first releasable lock between the slider and the first rail to lock sliding of the slider along the first rail, wherein a first side of the first hydraulic cylinder is pivotally connected to the slider and the clamping assembly is operatively connected to the slider, wherein the first lock is locked in the tumble mode and released in the lift mode. The slider is guided by rails so that the pivotal movement of the controller relative to the spud-bar carrier is well controlled and limited to sliding after releasing the first lock.

In an embodiment the spud bar carrier comprises a tilting frame comprising the first channel of the spud bar and being pivotably connected to the base frame, wherein the spud bar assembly comprises a second releasable lock between the tilting frame and the spud bar to lock the movement of the spud bar in its elongated direction relative to the tilting frame. The second releasable lock can temporarily secure the spud bar so that it can be lifted step by the reciprocating stroke of the clamping assembly powered by the first hydraulic cylinder.

In an embodiment, the spud bar carrier comprises a tilting frame comprising the first channel of the spud bar and being pivotably connected to the base frame, wherein the spud bar assembly comprises a third releasable lock between the tilting frame and the base frame to lock the pivoting movement of the tilting frame relative to the base frame. The third lock is unlocked when the fully retracted spud-bar finally rotates downwards in the tipping mode.

In an embodiment, the spud-bar carrier comprises a tilting frame having a first channel of the spud-bar and being pivotally connected to the base frame, and a yoke pivotally connected to the tilting frame or the base frame, wherein the yoke comprises an engagement end for engaging the spud-bar spaced from the tilting frame, wherein a first side of the first hydraulic cylinder is pivotally connected to the yoke. During conventional dredging operations, the yoke may be rotated downwardly away from the spud-mast to allow lateral movement of the spud-mast relative to the hull.

In one embodiment, the hoist trolley is mounted to the yoke.

In one embodiment, the clamping assembly is reciprocated by a first hydraulic cylinder between the tilt frame and the engagement end of the yoke.

In an embodiment, the clamping assembly comprises a channel of the spud shank, which channel is delimited by a first clamping surface and a second clamping surface, which first and second clamping surfaces are opposite to each other transverse to the longitudinal direction of the spud shank, wherein the clamping assembly is movable relative to the spud shank between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position the first and second clamping surfaces together maintain a clearance relative to the spud shank, and wherein in the second position the first and second clamping surfaces together tightly engage the spud shank. The force of the first and second clamping surfaces into the spud shank closes the engagement. In this way, the spud-pile itself does not need to have the additional features that are employed in the lifting mode.

In an embodiment, the first clamping surface is in a second position, which is elevated in relation to the second clamping surface in the longitudinal direction of the spud shank.

In an embodiment, the first side of the second hydraulic cylinder is operatively connected to the first clamping surface to raise the first side relative to the second clamping surface.

In one embodiment, the clamping assembly includes a master clamp with a first clamping surface, a slave clamp with a second clamping surface, and a pair of parallel tie rods pivotally connected to the master and slave clamps to form a parallelogram structure therewith. The parallelogram structure ensures that the main clamp can only be translated in a limited pivoting movement relative to the driven clamp to position the two clamping faces directly on the circumferential wall of the spud-bar.

In an embodiment, the spud bar carrier with the spud bar is pivoted in the tipping mode by a first hydraulic cylinder between a vertical position in which the spud bar extends substantially vertically and a horizontal position in which the spud bar extends substantially horizontally.

In an embodiment the centre line of the first hydraulic cylinder extends in the lifting mode at an angle of less than 20 ° relative to the centre line of the spud-bar.

In one embodiment, the clamping assembly is lifted in the lifting mode by retraction of the first hydraulic cylinder.

In an embodiment the spud-pile mast is connected or suspended to a second hoisting cable, wherein the second hoisting cable is connected to a hoisting winch. These lifting devices can be used for regular frequent lowering and retraction of the spud-pole.

In an embodiment, the hull comprises an elongated well, wherein the base frame is moved along a second track extending horizontally along the well, wherein the vessel comprises a second hydraulic cylinder between the hull and the base frame to move the base frame along the second track.

In an embodiment, the vessel is a dredging vessel.

According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for lifting an elongate spud-bar of a vessel, wherein the vessel comprises a hull and a spud-bar assembly, wherein the spud-bar assembly comprises: a base frame; a spud bar support pivotally connected to the base frame, wherein the spud bar is guided by the spud bar support to be lifted and lowered in its elongated direction relative to the hull; a first hydraulic cylinder pivotally connected at a first side thereof to the base frame and pivotally connected at an operatively opposite second side thereof to the spud bar support for pivotally positioning the spud bar support and spud bar relative to the base frame; and a clamping assembly to clamp the spud bar, the clamping assembly being operatively connected to a first side of the first hydraulic cylinder, wherein the spud-bar assembly can be switched between a tilting mode and a lifting mode, wherein in the tilting mode the position of the pivot between the first side of the hydraulic cylinder and the spud-bar carrier is fixed relative to the spud-bar carrier, so that extension and retraction of the first hydraulic cylinder can pivot the spud-bar carrier and spud bar relative to the base frame, and wherein the pivot between the first side of the hydraulic cylinder and the spud-bar carrier in the lifting mode is movable in relation to the spud-bar carrier, such that extension or retraction of the first hydraulic cylinder lowers or raises the operatively connected clamp assembly relative to the base frame, wherein the method comprises switching to a lifting mode when the spud-stick is upright and lifting the clamping assembly by means of the first hydraulic cylinder after engaging the spud-stick.

In an embodiment, the clamping assembly comprises a channel of the spud shank, the channel being delimited by a first clamping face and a second clamping face, the first clamping face and the second clamping face being opposite to each other transverse to the longitudinal direction of the spud shank, wherein the first hydraulic cylinder is operatively connected to the first clamping face, wherein the method comprises lifting the first clamping face relative to the second clamping face in the longitudinal direction of the spud shank, such that the first clamping face and the second clamping face together tightly engage the spud shank for force-closed engagement therewith.

The various aspects and features described and illustrated in the specification may be applied separately wherever possible. These unique aspects, in particular the various aspects and features described in the appended dependent claims, may be the subject of divisional patent applications.

Drawings

The invention will be elucidated on the basis of exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, in which:

fig. 1A and 1B are an isometric view and a partial longitudinal section of a suction dredge with spud carrier assemblies according to an embodiment of the present invention during emergency lifting;

fig. 2A, 2B and 2C show side views of the spud carrier assembly from fig. 1A and 1B during the turning over of the spud carrier shaft.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1A shows the spud-shank side of a vessel 1, such as a cutter suction dredger or a backhoe dredger. The vessel 1 comprises an elongated hull 2, which elongated hull 2 has spud wells 5 moving at the rear side 3 of the hull 2. In the case of a cutter suction dredger, for example, the vessel 1 is provided with rotary cutterheads (not shown) on ladders on opposite sides of the hull 2. Spud well 5 comprises two parallel side walls 4 and two parallel horizontal rails 7, which two parallel horizontal rails 7 hang along the two parallel side walls 4 to slidably support spud assembly 20 according to an embodiment of the invention. The spud carrier assembly 20 and the horizontal rail 7 are also shown separately in fig. 1B.

The spud carrier assembly 20 comprises a steel base frame 21, wherein the steel base frame 21 has a front wall 22 and two parallel side walls 23, wherein the front wall 22 and the two parallel side walls 23 generally form a hollow U-shape which is open at the rear side of the hull 2. The base frame 21 comprises two support structures 25, which protrude from the side walls 23. The support structure 25 is mounted at its bottom side to a hinge 26, wherein a skid shoe 30 is connected to the hinge 26. The skid shoes 30 engage the horizontal rails 7 to allow the base frame 21 to slide back and forth in the horizontal direction a.

In the embodiment shown, the base frame 21 comprises an upper pulley carrier 40 on each side, each upper pulley carrier 40 holding two pulleys 41 adjacent to each other above the skid shoe 30; the base frame 21 further includes two elastic lower runner frames 42, each elastic lower runner frame 42 holding a pulley 43 below the skid shoe 30. The hull 2 is provided with schematically indicated

pulleys

44, 47 above the spud well 5 and with schematically indicated

pulleys

45, 46, 48, 49 inside the spud well 5. The base frame 21 is kept upright while sliding in the horizontal direction by means of two

steel cross wires

50, 51 on each side of the base frame 21. For clarity of fig. 1A, only pulleys 44-49 and a pair of

cross wires

50, 51 are shown, located on the port side of the spud carrier assembly 20. The same pulleys 44-49 and cross

wires

50, 51 are provided on the starboard side (starboard side). For illustrative purposes, the first crosswire 50 is represented by a thinner wire than the second crosswire 51.

The first cross line 50 is connected to the hull 2 in front of the spud well 5 and runs around one of the upper pulleys 41 of the base frame 21 to the upper pulley 44 above and in front of the spud well 5. The first cross wire 50 is then free to pass through the upper sheave frame 40 and over the

sheaves

48, 49, with the

sheaves

48, 49 being behind and above and below the spud-shaft 5, respectively. Subsequently, the first cross line 50 passes behind the lower pulley 43 and is finally connected to the hull 2.

The second crosswire 51 on the same port side is routed symmetrically with respect to the first crosswire 50. That is, the second cross wire 51 is connected to the hull 2 behind the spud well 5 and runs around the other upper sheave 41 of the base frame 21 to the upper sheave 47 above and behind the spud well 5. The second cross wire 51 is then free to pass through the upper pulley carriage 40 and over the

pulleys

45, 46, with the

pulleys

45, 46 in front of and above and below the spud-carrier shaft 5, respectively. Subsequently, the second crosswire 51 passes ahead through the other lower pulley 43 and is finally connected to the hull 2.

The cross lines 50, 51 are biased by horizontal movement of one of the

pulleys

44, 47 above the spud-carrier shaft 5 by means of a hydraulic cylinder, not shown. Horizontal movement of the base frame 21 in direction a is powered by hydraulic cylinders (also not shown) between the hull 2 and the base frame 21. The

cross wires

50, 51 keep the base frame 21 upright while the base frame 21 is moved horizontally in the direction a by a hydraulic cylinder, not shown. The pedestal 21 may be kept upright by any suitable suspension system of any type of vessel, wherein horizontal movement is optional.

The spud carrier assembly 20 comprises an elongated steel spud bar 60 and a steel spud bar support 61 for the spud bar 60. The spud shaft 60 includes a tube 65 and a tip 66, and the tube 65 may be formed from a series of tube sections. The spud bar support 61 comprises a tilting frame 62 and a wedge or any other releasable lock, not shown, wherein the tilting frame 62 has a channel 63 for the spud bar 60 and the wedge or any other releasable lock is used to lock the sliding of the spud bar 60 by the spud bar support 61. On the front side, the tilting frame 62 is connected to two first support structures 64 of the base frame 21 by means of a rotary bearing so as to pivot about a first horizontal pivot axis B in the direction C relative to the base frame 21. On the free rear side, the tilting frame 62 is connected to the base frame 21 by means of a pin or any other releasable lock.

Furthermore, the spud-bar carrier 61 is provided with a steel yoke 70, which steel yoke 70 has a counter Y-frame 71 and is connected at its bottom side to the tilting frame 62 by means of a swivel bearing so that it pivots about a second horizontal pivot axis D in direction E relative to the tilting frame 62. In this embodiment, the first horizontal pivot axis B and the second horizontal pivot axis D are located close to each other due to the size of the bearings but these horizontal pivot axes B, D may also coincide.

The yoke 70 comprises spud bar claws 72 at the upper side of the Y-frame 71. The claws 72 tightly engage about half the circumference of the spud bar 60. A steel closure 73 is pivotally connected to the jaw 72. In the open position of the closure element 73, the spud can enter the claw 72, while in the closed position the spud 60 is slidably closed over its entire circumference.

The yoke 70 includes a plurality of rails 75 and a slider 76, wherein the plurality of rails 75 extend at the elongated rear portion of the Y-frame 71, and the slider 76 engages and slides along the rails 75. The slider 76 is pivotally connected to two parallel hydraulic cylinders 78 which are pivotally connected at their bottom sides to two second support structures 77 of the base frame 21, which second support structures 77 are located below and spaced from the first support structure 64. The slider 76 moves along the rail 75 in the direction F, wherein on the upper side the slider can be locked and unlocked at the level of the pawl 72 by means of a pin or any other lock not shown in the drawings.

The yoke 70 includes two lifting pulleys 81 on top of the pawl 72 and two parallel first lifting cords 80 looped over the lifting pulleys 81. A first lifting cable 80 is connected at one end to the slider 76 and a clamping assembly 90 is suspended at the first cable 80 at the opposite side. The clamping assembly 90 includes a master clamp 91 and a slave clamp 92, both having semi-circular engagement surfaces 93 corresponding to the circumference of the spud bar 60, and the clamping assembly 90 further includes two pairs of parallel tie rods 94, the two pairs of parallel tie rods 94 being pivotally connected on both ends to opposite ends of the

clamps

91, 92. The tie rods 94 form a parallelogram structure which imparts a mutual oscillating translational movement to the

clamps

91, 92, wherein one of the

clamps

91, 92 is disengaged from the spud bar 60 at the outermost mutual distance perpendicular to the spud bar 60. Only the main clamp 91 is connected to the first lifting cable 80.

The spud carrier assembly 20 includes a second lifting cable 82 that runs over a pulley 83 in the base frame 21. The second hoisting cable 82 is at one end close to the tip 66 connected to the spud-bar 60 and at the other end the second hoisting cable 82 is connected to a winch, not shown, on the hull 2. The elongated spud 60 is retracted or lowered in the vertical direction G by pulling or paying out the winch.

For dredging operations, the spud-pile 60 is lowered with the tip 66 in the direction G to stand or penetrate the seabed. The yoke 70 is rotated downwardly in direction E by retraction of the hydraulic cylinder 78. This is depicted in fig. 2A. The first lifting cable 80 is long enough to hang loosely while being connected to the slider 76 and the main clamp 91. The clamp assembly 90 is secured to the flat upper surface of the spud-bar support 61 so that the

clamps

91, 92 do not engage the spud-bar 60. During dredging operations, the cutter suction dredger 1 is reciprocally swung sideways around the contact point of the spud bar 60 with the seabed to move the cutter head along an arc-shaped path. After each oscillation, the spud carrier assembly 20 is translated stepwise in direction a to move the hull 2 forward or backward relative to the seabed. After each full stroke, the spud 60 is raised a few meters in direction G and then lowered again after returning in direction a. The lowering and lifting frequency of the spud bar 60 is performed by using the second hoisting cable 82.

After the dredging operation is completed, the spud bars 60 may be flipped down toward the hull 2. As shown in fig. 2B, the spud 60 is first fully lifted by the second hoisting cable 82. In this raised position, the pointed end 66 of the spud-bar is retracted into the base frame 21. The yoke 70 is then rotated vertically upward in direction E by extension of the hydraulic cylinder 78 so that the pawl 72 engages the spud bar 60. The spud-bar carrier 61 with the spud-bar 60 is turned downwards by retraction of the hydraulic cylinder 78. Subsequently, the pawl 72 is closed with the closure 73, and the tilting frame 62 is unlocked to allow the yoke 70 and the tilting frame 62 to tilt about the horizontal pivot axis B with the spud bar 60 as a whole. This process is performed in reverse order to vertically rotate the spud-bar 60 again.

In case of failure of the second hoisting cable 82 or related critical components, the spud carrier assembly 20 is provided with a backup device to lift the spud bar 60. The backup is formed by a hydraulic cylinder 78 and a slider 76, which hydraulic cylinder 78 and slider 76 are also used for turning the spud bar 60, and by a clamping assembly 90 and a first lifting cable 80 for turning said lifting pulley 81. When the standby equipment is used, the spud-carrier assembly 20 switches from the normal turning mode to the emergency lifting mode. In preparation, the hydraulic cylinder 78 is extended to erect the yoke 70 and close its closure 73. The clamp assembly 90 remains on the spud-bar support 61 during erection of the yoke 70. The pivoting movement of the tilting frame 62 in direction E remains locked. In this position, the spud-carrier assembly 20 is switched to emergency lift mode by sliding the release slider 76 along the rail 75. Subsequently, the hydraulic cylinder 78 is fully retracted, causing the clamp assembly 90 to move upwardly. In this upward stroke, the master clamp 91 is initially lifted relative to the slave clamp 92 to engage the spud bar 60, followed by actually lifting the spud bar 60 a longer trajectory. The force of the clamping assembly 90 into the spud bar 60 closes the engagement. The engagement is tightened in proportion to the applied lifting force and thereby prevents sliding along the spud 60. At the end of this upward stroke, the lifted spud bar 60 is temporarily fixed by the spud bar carrier 61, after the hydraulic cylinder 78 has been extended. During this downward stroke, the force closure engagement of the clamping assembly 90 is automatically released and the clamping assembly 90 slides down the spud bar 60 under its own weight.

By repeating the above steps, the spud-bar 60 is lifted stepwise, wherein the lifting distance is slightly less than the stroke length of the hydraulic cylinder 78 each time. When it is finally necessary to turn the spud-carrier bar 60 downwards, the spud-carrier assembly 20 is switched back to the tipping mode again by locking the slide 76 on top again after the final extension of the hydraulic cylinder 78. After the tilting movement in the release direction D, the spud carrier 61 with the spud 60 can be pivoted downward as described above. The back-up allows the cutter suction dredger 1 or any other vessel with such a spud carrier assembly 20 to retract its spud bars 60 in any movement. This is necessary when the primary installation is temporarily down and the spud-bar 60 needs to be retracted, for example due to unpredictable weather and sea conditions.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to illustrate the operation of the preferred embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. From the above discussion, many variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art that are intended to be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Vessel (1) comprising a hull (2) and a spud-bar assembly, wherein the spud-bar assembly comprises: a base frame (21); a spud bar support (61) pivotally connected to the base frame; an elongated spud bar (60) guided in its elongated direction relative to the hull by a spud bar support for lifting and lowering; a first hydraulic cylinder (78) pivotally connected at a first side thereof to the base frame (21) and pivotally connected at an operatively opposite second side thereof to the spud bar support (61) to thereby pivot the spud bar support and spud bar relative to the base frame; and a clamping assembly (90) for clamping the spud bar, the clamping assembly being operatively connected to a first side of the first hydraulic cylinder (78), wherein the spud-bar assembly can be switched between a tilting mode and a lifting mode, wherein in the tilting mode the pivot position between the first side of the first hydraulic cylinder (78) and the spud-bar carrier is fixed relative to the spud-bar carrier (61), so that extension and retraction of the first hydraulic cylinder (78) can pivot the spud-bar carrier (61) and the spud bar (60) relative to the base frame (21), and wherein in the lifting mode the pivot between the first side of the first hydraulic cylinder (78) and the spud-bar carrier (61) is movable relative to the spud-bar carrier (61), whereby extension or retraction of the first hydraulic cylinder (78) lowers or raises the operatively connected clamp assembly (90) relative to the base frame (21).

2. Vessel (1) according to claim 1, wherein the clamping assembly (90) is operatively connected to the first side of the first hydraulic cylinder (78) by a first hoisting cable (80), wherein the first hoisting cable is guided along a lifting pulley (81) on the spud bar support (61), wherein the hoisting pulley is located above the clamping assembly (90) and the first side of the first hydraulic cylinder (78).

3. Vessel (1) according to claim 1, wherein the spud-stem assembly comprises: a first rail (75) connected to the spud-bar carrier (61); a slider (76) that slides along the first rail; and a first releasable lock between the slider (76) and the first rail (75) to lock the sliding (F) of the slider (76) along the first rail (75), wherein a first side of a first hydraulic cylinder (78) is pivotally connected to the slider (76) and a clamping assembly (90) is operatively connected to the slider, wherein the first lock is locked in the flip mode and released in the lift mode.

4. Vessel (1) according to claim 1, wherein the spud bar support (61) comprises a tilting frame (62) having a first channel (63) of the spud bar (60) and being pivotably connected to the base frame (21), wherein the spud bar assembly comprises a second releasable lock between the tilting frame (62) and the spud bar (60) to lock the spud bar movement in its elongated direction relative to the tilting frame.

5. Vessel (1) according to claim 1, wherein the spud bar support (61) comprises a tilting frame (62) having a first channel (63) of the spud bar (60) and being pivotably connected to the base frame, wherein the spud bar assembly comprises a third releasable lock between the tilting frame (62) and the base frame (21) to lock the pivoting movement of the tilting frame relative to the base frame.

6. Vessel (1) according to claim 1, wherein the spud bar support (61) comprises a tilting frame (62) and a yoke (70), wherein the tilting frame has a first channel (63) of the spud bar (60) and is pivotally connected to the base frame, and the yoke is pivotally connected to the tilting frame (62) or the base frame (21), wherein the yoke (70) comprises an engagement end (72) for engaging the spud bar (60) spaced from the tilting frame (62), wherein a first side of a first hydraulic cylinder (78) is pivotally connected to the yoke.

7. Vessel according to claim 1, wherein the clamping assembly (90) is operatively connected to a first side of the first hydraulic cylinder (78) on a spud bar carrier (61) by a first hoisting cable (80) guided along a lifting pulley (81), wherein the hoisting pulley is located above the clamping assembly (90) and the first side of the first hydraulic cylinder (78), wherein the spud bar carrier (61) comprises a tilting frame (62) having a first channel (63) for pivotably connecting the spud bar (60) to the base frame (21), and a yoke (70) pivotably connected to the tilting frame (62) or the base frame (21), wherein the yoke (70) comprises an engagement end (72) for engaging the spud bar (60) spaced from the tilting frame (62), wherein the first side of the first hydraulic cylinder (78) is pivotably connected to the yoke, wherein the lifting pulley (81) is mounted to the yoke (70).

8. Vessel (1) according to claim 6, wherein the clamping assembly (90) is reciprocated by a first hydraulic cylinder (78) between the tilting frame (62) and the engagement end (72) of the yoke (70).

9. Vessel (1) according to claim 1, wherein the clamping assembly (90) comprises a channel of the spud bar (60), the channel being delimited by a first and a second clamping surface, the first and second clamping surfaces being opposite to each other transverse to the longitudinal direction of the spud bar (60), wherein the clamping assembly (90) is movable relative to the spud bar (60) between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position the first and second clamping surfaces together maintain a clearance relative to the spud bar (60), and wherein in the second position the first and second clamping surfaces together tightly engage the spud bar (60).

10. Vessel (1) according to claim 9, wherein in the second position the first clamping surface is elevated in relation to the second clamping surface in the longitudinal direction of the spud bar (60).

11. Vessel (1) according to claim 9, wherein a first side of the first hydraulic cylinder (78) is operatively connected to the first clamping surface.

12. Vessel (1) according to claim 9, wherein the clamping assembly (90) comprises a main clamp (91) with a first clamping surface, a driven clamp (92) with a second clamping surface and a pair of parallel tie rods (94), wherein the parallel tie rods are pivotally connected to the main clamp (91) and the driven clamp (92) to form therewith a parallelogram structure.

13. Vessel (1) according to claim 1, wherein the spud bar carrier (61) with the spud bar (60) is pivoted by the first hydraulic cylinder (78) between a vertical position and a horizontal position in the tipping mode, wherein the spud bar (60) extends substantially vertically in the vertical position and the spud bar (60) extends substantially horizontally in the horizontal position.

14. Vessel (1) according to claim 1, wherein in the lifting mode the centre line of the first hydraulic cylinder (78) extends at an angle of less than 20 ° relative to the centre line of the spud bar (60).

15. Vessel (1) according to claim 1, wherein in the lifting mode the clamping assembly (90) is lifted by retraction of the first hydraulic cylinder (78).

16. Vessel (1) according to claim 1, wherein the spud bar (60) is connected to a second hoisting cable (82), wherein the second hoisting cable (82) is connected to a hoisting winch.

17. Vessel (1) according to claim 1, wherein the spud bar (60) is suspended to a second hoisting cable (82), wherein the second hoisting cable (82) is connected to a hoisting winch.

18. Vessel (1) according to claim 1, wherein the hull (2) comprises an elongated well (5), wherein the base frame (21) is moved along a second track (7), the second track (7) extending horizontally along the well, wherein the vessel comprises second hydraulic cylinders between the hull (2) and the base frame (21) for moving the base frame along the second track (7).

19. Vessel (1) according to claim 1, wherein the vessel (1) is a dredging vessel.

20. Method for lifting an elongated spud shank (60) of a vessel (1), wherein the dredging vessel comprises a hull (2) and a spud shank assembly, wherein the spud shank assembly comprises: a base frame; a spud bar support (61) pivotally connected to the base frame, wherein the spud bar (60) is guided by the spud bar support to be lifted and lowered in its elongated direction relative to the hull; a first hydraulic cylinder (78) pivotally connected at a first side thereof to the base frame (21) and pivotally connected at an operatively opposite second side thereof to the spud bar support (61) to pivot the spud bar support and spud bar relative to the base frame; and a clamping assembly (90) for clamping the spud bar, the clamping assembly being operatively connected to a first side of the first hydraulic cylinder (78), wherein the spud bar assembly is switchable between a tilt mode and a lift mode, wherein in the tilt mode a pivot position between the first side of the first hydraulic cylinder (78) and the spud bar support (61) is fixed relative to the spud bar support, such that extension and retraction of the first hydraulic cylinder (78) can pivot the spud bar support (61) and the spud bar (60) relative to the base frame (21), and wherein in the lift mode the pivot between the first side of the first hydraulic cylinder (78) and the spud bar support (61) can be moved relative to the spud bar support (61), such that extension or retraction of the first hydraulic cylinder (78) lowers or lifts the operatively connected clamping assembly (90) relative to the base frame (21), wherein the method comprises switching to a lifting mode when the spud bar (60) is upright and lifting the clamping assembly (90) by means of the first hydraulic cylinder (78) after engaging the spud bar (60).

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the clamping assembly (90) comprises a channel of the spud bar (60), the channel being delimited by a first clamping face and a second clamping face, the first and second clamping faces being opposite to each other transverse to the longitudinal direction of the spud bar (60), wherein the first hydraulic cylinder (78) is operatively connected to the first clamping face, wherein the method comprises lifting the first clamping face relative to the second clamping face in the longitudinal direction of the spud bar (60) such that the first and second clamping faces together tightly engage the spud bar (60) for force-closing engagement therewith.