Dredged Material News

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.

Pacific Northwest seaports Seattle and Tacoma have signed design agreements with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for a pair of waterway navigation improvement projects.The Seattle Navigation Improvement Project, authorized by Congress in 2018, and the Tacoma Harbor Navigation Improvement Project, authorized in 2022, are part of a comprehensive modernization initiative for The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) gateway that began nearly a decade ago.Containerships navigating in the trans-Pacific trade are increasing in size…

Earlier this year Damen Shipyards received the order for four complete dredge packages to be installed in trailing suction hopper dredgers (TSHDs) currently under construction in Mexico for SEMAR. The identical TSHDs will be fitted out with dredge packages including the trailing pipe, a dredge pump, and various hopper loading and discharging equipment.At present, the four hopper dredgers are under construction at three different Mexican yards. The vessels have been optimized to receive a Damen dredge package…

Quincy, Mass. based Cashman Dredging & Marine Contracting Co. LLC, has secured a contract to perform maintenance dredging in Baltimore, Md.The $29,131,250 firm-fixed-price contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Baltimore District. Cashman was one of three bidders for the project.The project, which involves the removal of 1,400,000 cubic yards (cy) from deep-draft federal navigation channels, is estimated to wrap up by March 31, 2024.Dredging depth varies by…

Houston-based dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced it has been awarded a dredging and disposal contract in support of the Port Arthur LNG Phase 1 project.Great Lakes has been contracted by Bechtel Energy, the engineering, construction, and procurement company that’s managing the project in partnership with Sempra Infrastructure. The Port Arthur LNG project is a natural gas liquefaction and export terminal in Southeast Texas with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico.

PD Ports in the U.K. has ordered a new dredging vessel from Dutch shipbuilder Neptune Marine.The 71-meter-long hopper dredge, which has already been named the Emerald Duchess following a competition among PD Ports employees, was ordered for £23 million and will arrive at Teesport next summer.Currently under construction at a shipyard in Poland for commissioning, ahead of trials in the Netherlands in 2024, the Emerald Duchess will replace the Cleveland County, which had served…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is snapping back from the doldrums of COVID-19, wrapping up a strong first half of 2023 with a slew of awarded dredging work.“The federal government is no different from state and local governments, nor the private sector when it comes to COVID-19 work related recovery and USACE is not an exception,” said William P. Doyle, CEO of the Dredging Contractors of America. “The Army Corps has been steadily issuing contract awards since February, and that’s on the award side.

“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.

Quincy, Mass. dredging contractor Cashman Dredging & Marine Contracting has been awarded a contract for maintenance dredging in Baltimore.The $23,963,300 firm-fixed-price contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Baltimore District. Bids for the project were solicited via the internet with four received.Work is expected to be completed  by September 9, 2023.The project consists of maintenance dredging approximately 1,500,000 cubic yards (cy) from the deep-draft…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District (USACE) developed an environmental analysis in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended. The Final Environmental Assessment (EA) dated 30 September 2022, for Lower Columbia River Navigation Channel Dredged Material Transfer Site (W-60.9-IW-T) addresses the project purpose to provide an in-water holding area for temporary storage of dredged material from the lower Columbia River (LCR) federal navigation…

A critical channel deepening project that will help move cargo more efficiently to and from the U.S. advanced Monday after the Long Beach Harbor Commission concluded an extensive environmental review process and greenlit the endeavor.The work will also allow the port to welcome newer cleaner, and more efficient cargo vessels. The Port of Long Beach and the federal government will share the costs, estimated at almost $170 million. The port’s portion is estimated at $109 million.“By improving navigation in Long Beach Harbor…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, and the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) signed a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) for the $4 billion Mid-Chesapeake Bay ecosystem restoration project at MDOT Headquarters, August 23, 2022.The PPA – signed by Col. Estee Pinchasin, Baltimore District commander, and MDOT Secretary James F. Ports, Jr. – outlines the roles, responsibilities, and financial obligations for both partners for the restoration of both James and Barren islands in Dorchester County…

Researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Great Lakes Districts — Buffalo, Detroit and Chicago — recently released a technical report providing guidance for evaluating the environmental suitability of dredged material in the Great Lakes region.The “Environmental Evaluation and Management of Dredged Material for Beneficial Use: A Regional Beneficial Use Testing Manual for…

The United States' largest dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation on Wednesday announced the receipt of $107 million in new contract awards along the U.S. East Coast.The awarded dredging work includes: Norfolk Harbor Navigation Improvements Project (Capital, Virginia, $56.8 million), Charleston Lower Harbor Maintenance Dredging Project (Maintenance, South Carolina, $15.4 million), Tampa Harbor Maintenance Dredging 45-Foot Project (Maintenance, Florida, $13 million)…

New Jersey-based marine services company Donjon Marine Co. Inc., has secured a contract to perform maintenance dredging in Flushing Bay and Creek, in Queens, N.Y.Donjon Marine was one of two online bidders for the $23,970,800 contract, which was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) New York District. Work is scheduled to be completed by October 31, 2022. The Flushing Creek, also known as Flushing River, is a waterway that flows northward through the borough of Queens in New York City…

A $1 billion project to expand the Houston Ship Channel kicked off with an official ceremony last week, leading the way for greater safely, efficiency and economic growth in one of America’s busiest waterways.Known locally as Project 11 because it is the eleventh major construction project of the waterway in its more than 100-year history, the Houston Ship Channel expansion will widen the channel by 170 feet along its Galveston Bay reach, from 530 feet to 700 feet. It will also deepen some upstream segments to 46.5 feet…

Wasa Dredging said it has entered into a charter agreement with Herbosch-Kiere for the dredging of the subsoil for the Southern Breakwater in the Port of Klaipeda, Lithuania.Dredging services started on March 13. In total some 95,000 cubic meters of sand and clay will be dredged down to -19 meters. Horizontal dredging tolerances are -0.3 to +0.1 meters.Soils will be dredged with Wasa's backhoe dredger Optimus. The dredged material will be loaded in a self-propelled split hopper barges Boann and Sinann and dumped in the offshore appointed disposal area IV.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ New York District seeks a contractor for maintenance dredging of portions of the Newark Bay, New Jersey, Federal Navigation Project.Plans and specifications are expected to be available in April, bid opening in May and a contract award in July. The proposed work is anticipated to take place between August 2022 and March 2023. Estimated cost is between $25 million and $100 million.Check SAM.gov for details. Use Notice ID W912DS22B0010 to search. Response date is March 16.The dredge is to remove approximately 600…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking additional comments after its Jacksonville District published a Revised Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (RDSEIS) for the Port Everglades Harbor Improvements project.The RDSEIS includes additional information gained since the publication of the December 2020 Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and is being shared for additional public review and comment.The authorized plan for the Port Everglades, Fla.…

A new decision-support tool could become a game changer in the dredging of ship channels. Millions of dollars are at stake every time a major ship channel is cleaned up. Delays in dredging can cost even more by triggering increased risks, repeated maintenance and lost revenue. In either case, the task cannot be put off indefinitely.All ship channels must be regularly cleared of sand, debris settled on the bottom (called shoal) and miscellaneous trash. That means ship channel management regularly faces the mighty task of dredging.

These titles and headlines reference new contract opportunities listed on the SAM.gov contracting website which needs to be accessed directly to check for full details and instructions regarding follow up.•Locks 27 Miter Gate Anchorages Replacement on the Chain of Rocks Canal located in Granite City, Ill.•Olmsted Crane Barge Maintenance: Drydocking and Dockside Services.•FY22 USACE Environmental Services for Evaluation of Dredged Material, Galveston.•Excavator Barge Invitation for Bid…

The Coastal Zone Management Dredge Project for Wiggins Pass near Naples, Fla. began on Wednesday, and is estimated to be completed in 40 days.Major maintenance dredging at both Wiggins Pass and Doctors Pass typically occurs on a four- year cycle with minor interim dredging in-between. All dredge projects must be engineered and permitted on an individual basis, a process that can take many months, starting with the most recent annual survey of existing channel conditions. Annual monitoring surveys are performed to keep a close eye on the condition of the inlets…