Callan Marine’s New Dredge General MacArthur Enters Service

Callan Marine's new Jones Act cutterhead suction dredge (CSD) General MacArthur and its accompanying idler barge have entered service in Texas, heading to work on several projects before transiting to Corpus Christi for the second phase of the deepening and widening project.

The newest and largest dredger in Callen Marine's fleet, the General MacArthur represents the next generation of dredging technology and crew comfort, said Maxie McGuire, President of Callan Marine.

“The General MacArthur is a complete game-changer for the dredging industry,” McGuire said. Her size, capability, and 100% diesel-electric application make her efficiency and productivity among the best in the USA. The state-of-the-art onboard facilities offer the ultimate in crew accommodations.”

CSD General MacArthur was built in two shipyards. The hull and superstructure construction, housing and assembly took place at C&C Marine and Repair in Belle Chasse, La. The SPI/Mobile Pulley Works shipyard in Mobile, Ala., provided the dredging equipment, including the cutter ladder, A-frame, suction and discharge pipeline, gate valves, submerged dredge pump, two onboard dredge pumps, a five- and a six-blade cutter, Christmas tree, anchor boom system and spud carrier installation. Mobile Pulley Works also provided ball joints and pontoon tanks for the submerged and floating discharge pipeline.

The General MacArthur pushed off the dock in Belle Chasse, La. on Saturday, after the U.S. Coast Guard last week cleared the newbuild with its Certificate of Inspection (COI) and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) classified the new ship.

Support vessels and equipment built to serve the new dredge include an anchor barge, idler barge and a large complement of dredge pipeline. In April, Callan Marine launched its new idler barge built in Sterling Shipyard, Port Neches, Texas. Its spud-carriage equipment was then installed at Mobile Pulley Works in Alabama. The idler barge’s dimensions are 180’ x 54’ x 13’ and will be connected to the stern of the General MacArthur when dredging in sheltered water. The idler barge is equipped with a spud-carriage and spuds which allow the dredge MacArthur to step over the dredge area as it excavates the seabed’s material. The total stroke of the spud-carriage is 25 feet, the spuds have a length of 110 feet, with weight of 90,000 pounds each.

The General MacArthur is 290 feet long, and with the 180-foot idler barge attached, the dredge has a maximum swing radius of 530 feet. The beam is 72 feet, with a depth 16 feet and draft 8 – 11 feet. The digging depth is 97 feet with a suction diameter of 34 inches and a discharge diameter 32 inches. The vessel is equipped with three CAT-MAK diesel electric engines that provide 24,000 horsepower (18,000 kw) of power.

Production automation and monitoring systems will be linked to the project and corporate offices, along with Hypack/DredgePack survey software and the Corps of Engineers’ Dredge Quality Management (DQM) system.

The 32-inch General MacArthur joins Callan’s fleet consisting of the 16-inch General Patton, the 12-inch General Eisenhower, and the General Pershing, an 18-inch unloader.

“American owned, American built and American crewed – the U.S. Jones Act dredging industry is investing billions of dollars in capital expenditures to keep America’s ports, harbors, waterways and coasts open to the flow of commerce,” said William P. Doyle, Chief Executive Officer of the Dredging Contractors of America. “Callan Marine is another shining example of American ingenuity at its best.”

In April, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District awarded its second phase construction contract to Callan Marine. Phase II of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement program will deepen and widen the Corpus Christi Ship Channel from Harbor Island to 2.7 miles past the LA Quinta Junction and includes Ingleside where three large crude export marine terminal operators – Buckeye Partners, Moda Midstream, and Flint Hills Resources – will directly benefit.

“This [dredging] contract is vital for us to continue the deepening and widening of the existing Corpus Christi Ship Channel. The work will improve energy product transportation throughout at the Port of Corpus Christi by allowing larger vessels more efficient access, which will boost the economic competitive advantage and energy security of the United States for decades to come,” said Colonel Timothy Vail, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District Commander.