Dredges News

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company on Friday held a naming ceremony for its new hopper dredge, Galveston Island.The newbuild is the first of two new 6,500-cubic-yard-capacity trailing suction hopper dredges (TSHD) being built by Conrad Shipyard for the United States' largest dredging contactor.The dredge is equipped with a direct high-power pump-ashore installation, dredging system automation, dynamic positioning and tracking, U.S. EPA Tier 4 compliant engines, and have capabilities of running on biofuel to minimize the environmental impact.

Reserve, La. based DSC Dredge announced it has promoted Stephen McMahon to vice president of product support. He succeeds John “Sonny” Lightsey, who dedicated over 29 years to DSC.McMahon's journey at DSC began in 2011 in the hydraulic and mechanic shop, working under Troy Redwine and Carl Ulrich. His hands-on experience in the field and passion for problem-solving quickly propelled him through the ranks. Early in his career, he was sent to assist with the assembly of a dredge in Nebraska, where he came to the realization of his love for travel and fieldwork.

Heavy competition within the U.S. dredging sector helps to save American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year, as highlighted by a recent industry report.According to the "U.S. Dredging Report: An Analysis of the FY23 U.S. Federal Dredging Market", compiled by dredging industry insider Michael Gerhardt, highly competitive U.S. dredging companies saved taxpayers $707 million for contracts awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in FY 2023 alone.The USACE awards a diverse array of dredging projects…

Ten weeks after the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, salvage crews successfully removed the final large steel truss segment blocking the 700-foot-wide Fort McHenry Federal Channel on June 3-4.Using concrete breakers, underwater surveys, and oxyacetylene torches, they separated tons of concrete roadway, cable, and steel rebar from "Section 4C" while removing debris with clamshell dredges.On May 20, Unified Command had cleared the Federal Channel to a width of 400 feet and a depth of 50 feet, allowing deep-draft commercial vessels to access the Port of Baltimore.

On April 19th, 2024, Muddy Water Dredging, LP, held the christening ceremony of its Marlin Class dredge at the Port of New Orleans. The event was attended by many esteemed business leaders, media personnel, and distinguished dignitaries. "We are happy to unveil the Vaneta Marie dredge. After many hours of collaboration between Muddy Water and DSC what we have before us is a dredge that was crafted with precision and ingenuity," said Michael Kerns, President, and CEO of Muddy Water.

As the U.S. offshore wind industry endures a predictable number of stops and starts during its adolescence, common mantras are ‘learn from the established European model’ and ‘embrace technology transfer from the offshore oil and gas sector.’ In Robert Langford, the American Bureau of Shipping has all of that and more bundled in one neat package.Rob Langford has worked in the offshore industry for more than three decades, ‘cutting his teeth’ in a UK design firm working in the North Sea oil and gas platforms, the holy grail of rigorous conditions in offshore energy production.

If nothing else, building vessels in the U.S. is a complicated business.In a session on the domestic shipbuilding marketplace, at Marine Money’s late-November 2023 conference held in New Orleans, Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards (with more than a dozen facilities, in Mississippi and Louisiana), described his company’s architecture as a “three-legged stool approach: commercial newbuilds, government newbuilds and repair/conversion capabilities”.On the same panel…

U.S. shipbuilder Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc (ESG) on Wednesday announced it is teaming up with Dutch shipbuilding group Royal IHC to design and construct a highly automated hopper dredge for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).The diesel-electric vessel, contracted for the Department of Defense, will be constructed at ESG's Allanton and Port St. Joe facilities in Florida for scheduled delivery in 2027.The new 6,000-cubic-yard-capacity medium-class hopper dredge (MCHD) will be based at the Corps’ Philadelphia District…

2024 marks another year for development of a biennial WRDA bill—Water Resources Development Act, critical legislation for the Nation’s waterways, ports and harbors. WRDA encompasses a range of issues, from environmental regs to energy use to agriculture and, of course, a focus on projects critical for economic growth.Because these are dynamic and timely issues, Congress and the maritime sector like to keep WRDA on a two-year reauthorization timeline. Indeed, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, December and January, held three WRDA information hearings.

Galveston, Texas based dredging contractor Callan Marine announced it has christened its newest cutter suction dredge (CSD), General Arnold, built by C&C Marine and Repair in Belle Chasse, La.The 32-inch CSD was ceremoniously christened in Corpus Christi, Texas, on February 20, 2024, and will immediately begin work on Phase Four of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project. The project will beneficially reuse 100%of the dredged material removed from the channel deepening and widening.The General Arnold is the newest, largest, and most environmentally friendly dredge in the U.S.

Indonesian firm PT. Jhonlin Marine Trans has placed an order for two dredges from Royal IHC, based in the Netherlands.Jhonlin Marine Trans is the marine subsidiary of Jhonlin Group, one of the largest companies in Indonesia under the ownership of Mr. Samsudin Andi Arsyad. Rangga Rishar Saputra, Country Manager Indonesia for Royal IHC, said, “We are grateful that Jhonlin and Mr. Isam has put their faith in IHC Dredging in developing their dredging capacity. The investment in the Beagle 4 and Beaver 65 as the first purchase from IHC Dredging is a significant commitment.

Houston based dredging and marine construction contractor Orion Group Holdings – Marine Group has become a member of trade group the Dredging Contractors of America (DCA).Orion has a near 100-year legacy and today ranks among market leaders in the provision of dredging services to keep waterways serviceable and to expand ports and other marine infrastructure throughout the United States, territories and Caribbean. The company works to create beneficial marsh habitats, dredging…

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted a selection of the most notable American newbuilds delivered of 2023—from a first-of-its-kind green towboat, to the lead vessel in a series of game-changing ships to train U.S. mariners.Empire StateAs the lead vessel in a series of five new training ships being constructed to serve America's state maritime academies, Empire State is easily one of the most important U.S.-built vessels delivered in recent memory.Built by Philly Shipyard for the U.S.

A dredge building boom that has been underway in the United States for several years is still going strong as the market remains highly completive for solid project workloads in both the public and private sectors.According The Mike Hooks Report, an analysis of the FY22 U.S. federal dredging market compiled in September 2023 by Michael Gerhardt, senior director of government affairs at Mike Hooks, LLC, 52 Jones Act dredging companies were awarded federal dredging contracts in FY2022.

Shipbuilder Royal IHC announced it has signed a contract to construct a large trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) for dredging contractor Boskalis.The new TSHD, with a hopper volume of 31,000 m3 will be one of the largest in Boskalis' fleet. It will be built at Royal IHC's yard in Krimpen aan den IJssel, in the Netherlands, for scheduled mid-2026 delivery.Royal IHC and Boskalis—both based in the Netherlands—have been formally working on the project since 2020, when an agreement was reached for the design and engineering of the state-of-the-art dredge.

Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group announced on Tuesday it has received a notice to proceed after winning a contract to design and build a new hopper dredge for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).The 6,000-cubic-yard-capacity diesel-electric dredge will be constructed at Eastern’s Allanton and Port St. Joe facilities and is scheduled for delivery in 2027, the builder said.The new medium-class hopper dredge (MCHD) will be based at the Corps’ Philadelphia District, replacing the 57-year-old McFarland…

The Dredging Contractors of America (DCA), a trade association representing the U.S. dredging and marine construction industry, said it strongly supports the development of a robust offshore wind industry.“As the industry grows in the United States and along the U.S. East Coast, the DCA and its companies are working with state and federal regulators on matters related to dredging operations,” said William P. Doyle, CEO of the Dredging Contractors of America.The U.S offshore wind…

Panama City, Fla. based Eastern Shipbuilding Group has been awarded a contract to design and build a new hopper dredge for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.The $256,955,264 firm-fixed-price contract will see Eastern design and build the new medium-class hopper dredge (MCHD) for scheduled delivery in August 2027. Eastern was one of three bidders for the project.The new 6,000-cubic-yard-capacity hopper dredge will replace the USACE Philadelphia District's high-powered deep draft hopper dredge McFarland, built in 1967.

The Dredging Contractors of America (DCA) announced William P. Doyle will return to lead the trade association as chief executive officer and executive director.Doyle, a well-known figure in the U.S. maritime industry, most recently served nearly three years as the executive director of Maryland Port Administration, overseeing the six state-owned marine terminals at the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore. He resigned from the position on June 16.Doyle previously served as CEO for the DCA, and two terms as a U.S. Federal Maritime Commissioner, twice unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

“Not only does the top of the river move, but the bottom of the river also moves.” - James Bodron, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division, Regional Business Director.Dredging was the Herculean act that allowed much of the U.S. economy to keep chugging along as usual, at least for Midwest and Central states, as drought conditions threatened to shut down river traffic on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, during fall and winter 2022 and early 2023.The full scope of these U.S.

A new cutter suction dredge (CSD) has been christened for Westlake, La. based dredging contractor Mike Hooks.The 27-inch CSD Lorraine Hooks was built at Southwest Shipyard in Galveston, Texas and delivered to its owner earlier this year 2023. The newbuild is named after the wife of the company's founder.C-Job Naval Architects, based in the Netherlands, served as systems integrator and was responsible for the full design scope including the majority of the dredge equipment for the dredge on behalf of Mobile, Ala.

A new trailing suction hopper dredge built by Eastern Shipbuilding Group for Weeks Marine has gone to sea trials.The 356-foot R.B. Weeks is the second in a series of two 8,550-cubic-meter-capacity hopper dredges Eastern has built for the New Jersey-based marine construction and dredging contractor, following sister vessel Magdalen delivered in 2017.In nearly all respects, the R.B. Weeks is identical to the Magdalen. The vessel includes an electrical power, propulsion, and dredge machinery package by Royal IHC…

Jennifer Carpenter has been president and CEO of The American Waterways Operators (AWO) in January 2020, but her time with the national trade association representing the inland and coastal tugboat, towboat and barge industry dates back to 1990. This month, she weighs in on top challenges and opportunities currently present in the industry, from difficult regulatory changes to the uptake of cleaner vessel technologies.What are some of the biggest and most important issues facing the tug, towboat and barge industry?Big picture, I feel like our industry has never been more relevant.