Dredging News

We are at the one-year since the Francis Scott Key (FSK) Bridge collapsed over the Patapsco River’s Fort McHenry Channel in Baltimore, Maryland. Nearly 100 percent of the wreckage and debris removal was conducted by the Jones Act private sector U.S. maritime industry. The FSK collapsed at about 1:28 a.m. local time on March 26, 2025 after the container ship MV DALI lost power and collided with one of bridge’s support piers. Six construction workers died in the collapse, while two other workers survived the fall into the freezing water.

The Dutra Group, a California-based heavy civil marine contractor, has issued a notice to proceed to Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) for the construction of a 10,464 cubic yard trailing suction hopper dredge, named Adele.The ship will be constructed at ESG's Allanton and Port St. Joe facilities. Delivery is scheduled for late 2028.The Adele will join The Dutra Group’s 9,870 cubic yard trailing suction hopper dredge Stuyvesant serving our nation’s essential waterways.The newbuild will be based on Royal IHC’s Beagle design.

A joint venture between Jan De Nul and DEME has signed a letter of award with Indian engineering and construction company ITD Cementation for dredging and reclamation works in Vadhavan Port during a Belgian economic mission to India.The project includes nearshore reclamation and shore protection for the greenfield port, which is located on India’s west coast in Maharashtra. Spanning approximately 200 hectares, the land reclamation will facilitate the construction of breakbulk…

The International Association of Dredging Companies (IADC) announced that Arnold de Bruijn (1980) will join the association in April as the eventual successor to Secretary-General, René Kolman, who has represented the international dredging sector since 2008. Kolman will retire on November 1, 2025 and, following that transition period, De Bruijn will formally take over the role of Secretary-General.de Bruijn has valuable background in the dredging industry. He began his career at Royal IHC…

Manson Construction Co. (Manson) announced that James (Jim) McNally, previously Manson’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), has assumed the role of President and CEO as of March 3, 2025.“The Board of Directors unanimously approves of Mr. McNally taking the reins of Manson due to his excellent performance as COO and his long-time industry experience,” announces Frederick Paup, Manson Chairman of the Board. “He is indeed wicked smart, which any Rhode Islander understands is the highest of compliments.”Since becoming COO in 2016, Mr.

Technology group Wärtsilä has signed a five-year lifecycle agreement with NMDC Group, one of the largest dredging and marine contractors in the Middle East.The agreement will focus on optimizing the availability and operational efficiency of NMDC’s dredging fleet.It covers seven of NMDC’s dredgers, with the potential to expand the scope to additional vessels in the future.The scope includes a tailor-made maintenance program for the engine and propulsion equipment onboard the vessels, as well as digital solutions and performance guarantees.

Belgium-based offshore installation contractor Jan De Nul has started working on the new deep-water port in Senegal, which will be able to accommodate two of the world's largest container ships simultaneously.Jan De Nul is responsible for dredging the five-kilometer access channel and will create an 89-hectare platform for maritime services and container storage.In total, the works are expected to take two and a half years to complete.The Port of Dakar is nearing its maximum capacity, and the surrounding area is fully saturated.

Manson Construction has long been a pillar of the U.S. maritime industry, rooted in a tradition of U.S.-built, U.S.-owned, and U.S.-operated vessels. The company was founded in 1905 by Peter Manson, when he dug up a jar of gold coins [because he didn’t trust the banks] and purchased a winch, a winch that was then put on a barge and that became Manson's first pile driver. With barge-mounted pile driver, Manson Construction  embarked on its journey into marine construction and eventually dredging, a journey which continues today as it has become a dominant player today in the U.S.

Belgian company DEME Group was the sole firm to bid in the Argentine government's tender for a major maintenance contract for the Parana waterway, a key route for grains transport, the government said on Wednesday.The bid could mark a major shakeup in dredging the river, part of a route from inland areas of Paraguay, Bolivia and southern Brazil out to sea. Argentina ships out some 80% of its massive farm exports along the waterway.Belgian rival Jan de Nul currently holds the concession to maintain the river and has for decades…

Van Oord, in cooperation with ZEDHub, Smart Delta Drechtsteden, the Municipality of Dordrecht and Port of Rotterdam, has demonstrated the operation of the fully electric crane vessel Christiaan P, a first for the dredging industry.Christiaan P. is a crane vessel owned by Paans Van Oord which was retrofitted to remove its engines and replace them with electric motors. The crane was also replaced by an electric one. The vessel is used for various kinds of marine engineering work…

Port Houston achieved a historic milestone in 2024, handling a record-breaking 53.07 million tons of cargo, a 6% increase over 2023 at its public terminals. Container volume also surged by 8%, reinforcing the port's critical role in facilitating trade and driving economic growth for Houston, the surrounding region, and the nation."Houston is at the heart of our nation’s trade, connecting our region to global markets," said Charlie Jenkins, CEO of Port Houston. "This record tonnage achievement reflects the dedication of our team and our strong partnerships with labor and key stakeholders.

There’s more to domestic dredging than meets the eye. Dredging Contractors of America CEO Bill Doyle is just the guy tell you why.William P. Doyle serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Dredging Contractors of America (DCA). DCA represents the dredging industry on key issues before Congress and is an active partner to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, public port authorities, state and local governments, as well as allied construction and maritime organizations.Immediately prior to this appointment, Mr. Doyle served as the Port of Baltimore’s Chief Executive for three years.

Damen Shipyards Group has delivered a Shoalbuster (SBu) 3209 to Caspian Offshore Construction, which will be put to work in support of dredging projects in the Persian Gulf.The vessel, named Caspian Lotus, joins the company’s fleet of over 50 vessels and barges.It features shallow draught of just 3.3 metres, 80 m2 of deck space, ample crane capacity and powerful propulsion.Caspian Offshore Construction is a long-term client of Damen. The company took delivery of its first Damen vessel – a Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 1605 back in 2006.Since…

The arrival of the dredger Willem Van Rubroeck in Ndayane has marked the start of maritime works for the $1.2 billion Port of Ndayane, a project led by Dubai-owned ports and logistics firm DP World, which aims to transform Senegal into a major center for global trade.The vessel will dredge a 5 km-long shipping channel - an essential step in building this high-capacity port designed to elevate Senegal’s trade infrastructure.Phase 1 of the project includes an 840 m quay and a 5…

Van Oord has finished dredging two new port basins in Ain Sokhna Port, successfully completing a project that forms part of a port expansion program meant to improve and develop the Suez Canal Economic Zone and harness the potential of the Suez Canal as a global hub for maritime transport.The General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone and the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Egypt awarded Van Oord the contract to dredge approximately 21 million cubic meters of soil to create two new port basins.

In the first study conducted into agitation dredging noise in harbors, Haven Dredging’s Tiamat Hydrodynamic dredger has been confirmed to be below the safe levels for marine mammals and fish.Tiamat, launched last year, is a hydrodynamic dredging solution that the study by environmental hydraulics consultancy, HR Wallingford, was found to be significantly quieter than a small trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD).When being pulled by a small workboat, the noise level of Tiamat was around 170 decibels (dB)…

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.

Mobile, Ala. ship repair yard  Alabama Shipyard has been awarded a contract to repair the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) largest trailing suction hopper dredge, Wheeler.Alabama Shipyard was one of three bidders for the contract, winning the drydock and repair deal with its $11,466,912 bid. The contract was awarded by the Corps' New Orleans District, which owns and operates the dredge to keep waterway channels clear from Key West, Fla., to Brownsville, Texas.The repair work…

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…

Damen Shipyards has started construction of three shallow draft multi-purpose support vessels at its shipyard in the United Arab Emirates, in anticipation of an increase in offshore and dredging activity in Arabian Gulf region.The initial program will be comprised of a 27-metre Multi Cat 2712 for delivery in November 2025, a 33-metre Multi Cat 3313 SD (shallow draft) for delivery in December 2025, and a 27-metre Shoalbuster 2711 for delivery in February 2026.All three types are…

Dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced it has received several dredging awards totaling $342.3 million.The awarded work includes:Sabine-Neches Waterway Channel Improvement, Contract 6 Project (Capital, Texas, $219.1 million)The Sabine-Neches Waterway Channel Improvement, Contract Project 6 involves the deepening of the channel to accommodate larger vessels, reduce transportation costs, enhance channel efficiency and improve safety for local port stakeholders. This project has approximately $16 million of options pending. The client on this project is the U.S.

Long Beach, Calif. based dredging and marine services contractor Curtin Maritime Corp. has been awarded a contract worth more than $33 million to perform dredging work in Baltimore, Md. The $33,493,525 firm-fixed-price contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District and is for Baltimore Harbor and channels maintenance dredging.Curtin Maritime was one of three bidders for the project, which is estimated to be completed by March 31, 2025.