Frederick News

Big data, advanced computers and AI are allowing vessel designers to prepare models that leave essentially nothing to chance.“Lastly, it may be of considerable importance to form from the draught a block model of the vessel from which a still more accurate judgment may be formed of the fitness and beauty of the body. And should any defect be discovered, farther alterations must still be made, till the draught and the model are perfectly approved of. These different alterations and repeated calculations may appear very tedious…

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.

Rescuers searching for a missing submersible near the wreck of the Titanic on Wednesday concentrated their efforts on a remote area of the North Atlantic where a series of undersea noises have been detected, though officials cautioned the sounds may not have originated from the vessel.With estimates suggesting the air supply on board the submersible could run out by Thursday morning, an international coalition of rescue teams has swept a vast expanse of the ocean for signs of the Titan…

Search teams detected underwater sounds while scanning the North Atlantic for a tourist submersible that vanished with five people aboard during a deep-sea voyage to the century-old wreck of the Titanic, the U.S. Coast Guard said early on Wednesday.The detection of the sounds by Canadian aircraft on Tuesday, day three of the search, was reported by the Coast Guard as the clock ticked down to the last 24 hours of the missing craft's presumed oxygen supply.Robotic undersea search operations were diverted to the area where the sounds seemed to originate…

The largest U.S.-flagged, self propelled trailing suction hopper dredger (THSD) Frederick Paup will be propelled by a trio of Schottel RudderPropellers manufactured at the German Wismar production site. Scheduled to enter operation in 2023, the dredger will be owned and operated by Manson Construction Co., and is currently under construction at the Keppel AmFELS Shipyard in Brownsville, Texas. It will be 128 m in length, have a 25 m breadth and about 9 m draught and will have a hopper volume of 11,500 cu.

U.S. dredging and marine construction industry trade group the Dredging Contractors of America (DCA) said Frederick Paup has been elected as the organization's next president.Paup, who currently serves as chairman of the board at Manson Construction, join DCA's leadership team with Stephen Tobin, newly elected senior vice president. Tobin is chief operating officer at Cashman Dredging.

The United Nations expects a "big uptick" in ships wanting to export Ukraine grain through the Black Sea after transit procedures were agreed and a goal of 2-5 million tonnes a month is "achievable," a senior U.N. official said on Wednesday.Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations agreed transit procedures on Monday for a deal struck in July to resume Ukraine Black Sea grain and fertilizer exports. The procedures include a 10 nautical mile protection zone for ships."We're expecting to see a big uptick in applications for transit," said Frederick Kenney, interim U.N.

The 2022 biennial, multi-national Rim of the Pacific's (RIMPAC) exercise has come to a close.This year’s exercise with the theme of “Capable Adaptive Partners,” featured 26 participating nations and 38 surface ships, three submarines, more than 30 uncrewed systems, approximately 170 aircraft, and more than 25,000 personnel.RIMPAC 2022 featured a wide range of capabilities--projecting the inherent flexibility of maritime forces and helping to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, and took place in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California, June 29 to Aug.

Richard Balzano took over as CEO and executive director of the Dredging Contractors of America in December 2020. And while he says he’s “still fairly new to the [dredging] industry”, he certainly knows his way around the business, having held a number of prominent roles over the course of more than 30 years in the maritime and U.S government sectors. His resume is impressive. A combat veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, he retired from the U.S. Navy at the rank of Captain. He later served as the presidentially appointed Deputy Maritime Administrator for three years…

It’s a common story in the U.S. shipbuilding industry today. A piece of equipment that used to be available for delivery on short notice—maybe in one or two weeks—now must be ordered months or more in advance, and it costs double. Add to this rising steel prices and the labor issues that have pervaded nearly all industrial sectors since the early days of the pandemic, and it’s clear that business is far from usual for American shipyards.Bollinger Shipyards president and CEO, Ben Bordelon…

Seattle-based Manson Construction Co., has been awarded a $16,945,950 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance dredging in Saint Marys, Ga. The work is expected to be completed by May 7, 2022.Bids were solicited via the internet with two received, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (W912EP-22-C-0001).Fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance, defense-wide funds in the amount of $16,945,950 were obligated at the time of the award.Manson currently has under construction the U.S.' largest ever hopper dredge…

At its Board of Trustees meeting held November 2 in St. Louis, the National Waterways Foundation (NWF) elected Matt Woodruff, Vice President of Public & Government Affairs, Kirby Corporation, as Chairman for a term expiring in 2023. He succeeds consultant Rick Calhoun as Chairman (2020-2021).The NWF, which develops the intellectual and factual arguments for an efficient, well-funded and secure inland waterways system, also elected the following Officers to serve one-year terms expiring in 2022President: *Tracy Zea…

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…

Manson Construction Co. and Keppel AmFELS, Inc. reached another on-time milestone on Monday, Aug. 2, 2021, celebrating with a Keel Laying Ceremony for the hopper dredge Frederick Paup. The keel laying represents the official commencement of construction of a maritime vessel in its final build position, in this case the starboard half of Hopper Bay No. 3.The ceremony was attended by dignitaries from the shipyard and Manson, including the vessel’s namesake, Manson Chairman of the Board and Executive Vice President…

The U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday commissioned three new Fast Response Cutters at a ceremony presided over by Adm. Karl Schultz, the Coast Guard’s commandant.The Coast Guard Cutters Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139), Oliver Henry (WPC 1140)  and Frederick Hatch (WPC 1143) were commissioned during what the USCG said was a rare triple-commissioning ceremony at the new homeport at Coast Guard Forces Micronesia Sector Guam. Guam is an unincorporated territory of the United States in the North Pacific Ocean.Named after Coast Guard enlisted heroes…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is working with industry partners to create and sustain an injury-free workplace and safety-first culture for the men and women who work in dredging and marine construction.On June 3 in Washington, D.C., the USACE inked a strengthened partnership agreement with the national safety voice for the dredging and marine construction industry, the Council for Dredging and Marine Construction Safety (CDMCS), and the groups discussed ways to meet shared safety goals.

Bollinger Shipyards delivered the USCGC Frederick Hatch, the 166th vessel the Louisiana shipbuilder has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 43rd Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.The USCGC Frederick Hatch is the final of three FRCs to be home-ported in Apra Harbor, Guam, increasing the presence for the U.S. Coast Guard in the Indo-Pacific Theater. Additionally, in 2020, Bollinger delivered two of six FRCs that will be home-ported in Manama…

The U.S. dredging fleet is growing. Presently on order and under construction is a raft of in-demand equipment that will help to keep America’s ports and waterways open, safeguard coastal communities and maintain the vital flow of maritime commerce to, from and through the U.S.In August, Eastern Shipbuilding Group cut first steel for a new trailing suction hopper dredge (TSHD) it is building for Weeks Marine, and the keel was laid the following month at the builder’s Allanton Shipyard in Panama City, Fla. The new 6,540 cubic meter capacity dredge R.B.

Manson Construction Co. signed a contract with Keppel AmFELS to build a new hopper dredge at the shipbuilder's facility in Brownsville, Texas, the Seattle-based marine contractor announced Monday. The new dredge is scheduled to be fully operational by spring 2023 and continues a dredge building boom currently underway in the U.S.The self-propelled trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) Frederick Paup will be the largest in the United States, representing Manson’s single biggest investment in its 115 year history, the company said.

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) will class the Frederick Paup, the largest self-propelled U.S. Hopper Dredge ever ordered.As previously reported, the giant hopper dredge was ordered by Manson Construction last month from Keppel AmFELS to build the hopper dredge.The 420-foot-long dredge, which will be U.S. flagged, will be built in Brownsville, Texas. It is expected to be fully operational by 2023.Arinjit Roy, ABS Vice President, North America Regional Business Development said: "ABS is highly experienced at supporting delivery of both Jones Act vessels and complex…

As the novel coronavirus and its impacts continue to spread across America, U.S. shipbuilders, by and large, continue to build. While most yards have been deemed essential to marine transportation and/or national security and have been able to maintain operations, the situation at and around every shipyard is different, and there are several builders across the country that have had to temporarily suspend activity. In either scenario, it’s far from business as usual for America’s…

The U.S.

Marine Components International (MCI) in the UK has been chosen by Denmark’s Daniamant to distribute its British-designed EchoPilot forward-looking 3D sonar systems (FLS 3D).Dorset-headquartered maritime company supplies a wide range of high-end marine products to leading yacht builders and shipyards worldwide. MCI managing director Andy Scott said he is delighted to welcome EchoPilot to MCI’s portfolio.“EchoPilot is a pioneer in Forward Looking Sonar ever since patenting the World’s first forward looking sonar in 1992, and its latest FLS 3D sonar system is one of the very best on the market,” he said.“Boat owners are very familiar with 2D sonars, but these can only give a representation of what lies directly below, and what has already passed, the keel, with a significant time lag.