Dare County News

The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division is looking into whether a second vessel maintenance facility could improve service to customers.Currently, the NCDOT Ferry Division has one maintenance facility, the Manns Harbor Shipyard in Dare County.The new planning study—funded by a $400,000 Federal Transit Administration grant, plus a $100,000 match from Ferry Division—will explore the conceptual site design for a larger, better equipped depot-level maintenance…

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted the most notable newbuilds delivered in 2022. From sturdy and nimble workboats, to the first new Jones Act laker in a generation, each vessel on display showcases the industry’s engineering prowess and technological ingenuity, with the focus on improving efficiency in operations. The maritime industry has no shortage of challenges to overcome, and each of Marine News’ top vessels will, in one way or another, aid efforts to tackle them.Mark W.

EJE Dredging Service, as part of a public/private partnership with Dare County, has taken delivery of a new shallow-draft hopper dredge on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.The newbuild Miss Katie departed from Conrad Shipyard in in Morgan City, La. on August 13, and arrived at its new home port in Wanchese on August 19.The dredge is the result of a yearslong collaboration between Dare County officials and Greenville, N.C.-based EJE Dredging Service, a private partner that owns and operates the 156-foot-long dredge.“With the arrival of the Miss Katie…

Houston-based dredging services provider Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced it has received several major dredging awards totaling $132.3 million.The awarded work includes:Coastal Storm Risk Management Rockaway Inlet Beach Fill Subcontract (Coastal Protection, New York, $37.2 million)South Atlantic Division Regional Harbor Dredging Project (Maintenance, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, $25.8 million)Avon Village Beach Nourishment and Buxton Renourishment Project (Coastal Protection…

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (“Great Lakes”) (NASDAQ:GLDD), the largest provider of dredging services in the United States and a major provider of environmental and infrastructure services, announced today the signing of two subcontracts valued at approximately $55 million for work in the Middle East as well as the receipt of a $38 million award for a coastal protection project in North Carolina. The first subcontract in the Middle East is for a land development project and involves dredging over 7 million cubic meters of material by creating several water circulation channels and pumping the resulting material up to 7,000 meters to its designated reclamation area.

Coast Guard Oregon Inlet crew members and Dare County EMTs came to the aid of an injured woman Tuesday after the boat she was on ran aground southeast of Wanchese. Personnel at Coast Guard Station Oregon Inlet received a report Tuesday afternoon stating the 32-foot sport fishing vessel Not Fancy had run aground in Wanchese Harbor, injuring a 62-year-old woman aboard. A 24-foot Special Purpose Craft - Shallow Water crew from Station Oregon Inlet responded. The crew launched from the station and picked up two Dare County EMTs at Broad Creek Marina. Once on scene, the Coast Guard assisted the EMTs in administering first aid and transferring the woman to the Coast Guard small boat.

The first hurricane of the Atlantic season gained strength on Thursday is expected to attain Category 2 status as it reaches the North Carolina coast, where thousands of vacationers scrubbed their July Fourth holiday plans amid evacuation orders. Hurricane Arthur was about 110 miles (175 km) south-southwest of Cape Fear, North Carolina, with current maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour (145 km per hour), U.S. forecasters said. Moving faster at 10 mph (17 kph), the center…

The Coast Guard responded Monday to an allision between a 58-foot charter boat with nine people aboard and the Bonner Bridge in Oregon Inlet, N.C. A concerned boater aboard the vessel West Wind witnessed the allision and contacted Coast Guard Sector North Carolina watchstanders via VHF-FM marine radio channel 16 at approximately 5:45 a.m., stating that the charter boat, Sandra D, struck one of the support pilings of the bridge, resulting in a five-foot by 10-foot hole in the boat's bow and possible injuries to three of the passengers aboard.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issued a notice stating that it intends to prepare a draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC Offshore Wind Demonstration Project for construction of up to three power generating wind turbines within Pamlico Sound, Dare County, North Carolina. A public scoping meeting will be held in Manteo, North Carolina on March 18. 75 Fed. Reg. 8047 (February 23, 2010). (Source: Bryant’s Maritime News)

Styrofoam packing material began washing ashore on the beaches of the North Carolina Outer Banks Wednesday afternoon as a result of a container ship encountering severe weather off the coast. The debris field ranges from Cape Lookout northward to the Virginia border. The most densely littered areas are from Cape Lookout to Cape Hatteras. Late Sunday evening, the Hapag-Lloyd vessel Paris Express encountered severe weather in the Atlantic while en route from Savannah to Norfolk, resulting in the loss of 21 containers overboard, including some containing Styrofoam "peanuts." None of the cargo involved was listed as hazardous material, although the Styrofoam could potentially be harmful to pristine National Seashore areas…