MacGregor to Equip US' Largest Hopper Dredge

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, will deliver two large, 120 ft. double telescopic service cranes and one 50 ft. telescopic stores crane for a self-propelled hopper dredge. Currently being built for Manson Construction Co., the Frederick Paup will be the largest ever self-propelled trailing suction hopper dredge built in the USA and will operate all over the country.

The order was placed by Keppel AmFELS, Inc. and booked into Cargotec’s 2020 fourth quarter order intake. The cranes are planned to be delivered to the yard by the end of 2021, with commissioning and testing during 2022 prior to delivery of the dredge in spring 2023.

The larger service cranes are double telescopic cranes with a size of 80 ft length when stored and extend out to 120 ft. The Safe Working Load (SWL) for these cranes will be circa 3,900 lbs at 120 ft and 108,000 lbs at minimum reach. The aft stores crane is a single telescopic crane with a size of 32 ft length when stored that extends out to 50 ft. This versatile model has been installed on a diverse range of vessels in recent years, including a number of fishing vessels in the US Pacific Northwest.

MacGregor worked with the vessel owner/operator, Manson Construction Co. of Seattle, WA, and the designer, Hockema Group, Inc. of Seattle, WA, during the earlier design stage of the project to provide crane models that fit their requirements and ensure the highest quality. The cranes will be built at MacGregor’s facility in Seattle, and the vessel will be built at Keppel AmFELS shipyard in Brownsville, Texas, USA.

“Since day one, the MacGregor team has provided excellent support and engineering solutions for this project, and the cranes will be a great tool for our daily operations,” says Jordan Brown, Project Manager, Manson Construction Company.

Leif Byström, Head of MacGregor’s Offshore Solutions Division, says “The active dialogue at an early stage in the project, together with the operator’s focus on high-quality equipment and reputable in-service support, are the reasons why MacGregor was selected to supply these robust cranes.”