US' Largest Hopper Dredger Delivered

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation has taken delivery of the newly built ATB hopper dredge Ellis Island and tug Douglas B. Mackie following completion of U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) regulatory sea trials.

The Jones Act dual mode articulated tug/barge (ATB) trailing suction hopper dredge was built by Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. According to Eastern CEO, Brian D’Isernia, the delivery is “the largest hopper dredge built in the United State to date.”

 

David Simonelli, President of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation's dredging division, said, “This advanced vessel which improves the competitiveness of our hopper group and represents a substantial reinvestment in our fleet. The Ellis Island significantly increases the United States commercial Jones Act hopper fleet capacity as the largest hopper dredge in the United States market, with a carrying capacity of 15,000 cubic yards.”

Lasse Petterson, Great Lakes' Chief Executive Officer, commented, “This addition to our fleet represents a great milestone in Great Lakes’ history. The Ellis Island is capable of meeting the current and future U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’, State and U.S. Ports’ deepening, coastal protection, coastal restoration and maintenance dredging infrastructure demands. The Ellis Island’s haul capacity and dredging systems will yield more efficient and faster project execution."

Great Lakes will next perform USCG emergency crew drills and expects to receive the Certificates of Inspection thereafter, after which the Ellis Island and tug Douglas B. Mackie will depart Panama City, Fla. for the Mississippi Coastal Improvement Program project and commence operations on a long haul coastal restoration project.