Eastern gets go ahead on new USACE hopper dredge

New dredge vessel will replace the 57-year-old dredge McFarland based in the Corps’ Philadelphia District. [Image: ESG]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has given Eastern Shipbuilding Group formal notice to proceed on its recently awarded $257 million contract to design and construct a new medium-class hopper dredge (MCHD), The new USACE hopper dredge will be constructed at Eastern’s Allanton and Port St. Joe facilities and is scheduled for delivery in 2027.

“On behalf of the highly skilled workforce at Eastern, I thank the Army Corps for entrusting us with this historic hopper dredge project that will serve an indispensable role in our national maritime priorities,” said Joey D’Isernia, CEO, Eastern Shipbuilding Group. “Eastern is the only U.S. shipyard to have delivered comparable dredges in the past 15 years. We look forward to a strong partnership with USACE as we deliver this significant project on their behalf.”

The new hopper dredge will enter the USACE’s Ready Reserve Fleet and will replace the 57-year-old dredge McFarland based in the Philadelphia Engineer District. The McFarland is one of four oceangoing hopper dredges owned and operated by USACE.

Eastern has a successful track record building large and complex hopper dredges for commercial customers. Recent hopper dredge deliveries include the ATB TSHD Douglas B. Mackie/Ellis Island delivered in 2017, TSHD Magdalen delivered in 2017, and the TSHD R.B. Weeks delivered in 2023.

For this latest dredge, Eastern has again teamed with Royal IHC, a world-renowned designer and builder of dredging vessels and equipment. Royal IHC has designed a tailor-made state-of-the-art diesel-electric hopper dredge to precisely meet USACE requirements. The design is the result of knowledge built over years of designing and building similar TSHDs. The hullform, based on Royal IHC’s proven Beagle TSHD-series, provides the best balance of proven carrying capacity, dredging performance, seakeeping, and open water transit operations as well as highly predictable operating characteristics.

Vessel Specifications:

• Length: 320 feet
• Beam: 72 feet
• Hull depth: 28 feet
• Draft (hopper empty): 11 feet 3 inches
• Draft (hopper full): 25 feet 6 inches
• Maximum hopper capacity: 6,000 cubic yards
• Maximum dredging depth: 65 feet