Royal Van der Leun to Equip USACE's New Hopper Dredge

Royal Van der Leun, based in the Netherlands, announced it will supply equipment for a new hopper dredge being built by Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Panama City, Fla., for the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

Scheduled for delivery in 2027, the 320-foot vessel, with a hopper capacity of 6,000 cubic yards will join the USACE’s Ready Reserve Fleet, replacing the USACE Philadelphia District's high-powered deep draft hopper dredge McFarland, built in 1967.

For the design, Eastern worked with longtime partner Royal IHC, headquartered in the Netherlands. The hullform—based on Royal IHC’s Beagle trailing suction hopper dredge (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", Eastern said.

Royal Van der Leun said it will deliver the machinery, nautical systems, switchboards, cabling and complete system integration. It will also provide on-site supervision during installation and support the final commissioning.

The vessel will feature highly automated systems like integrated forward-looking sonar, dynamic positioning, and tracking for enhanced dredging efficiency. Equipped with the ECO Package, the new dredging vessel will be able to operate up to 15% more efficiently, reducing both fuel consumption and environmental impact.It will feature a diesel-electric propulsion system that meets EPA Tier 4 environmental standards. The integration of Plumigator technology further minimizes air release during dredging, contributing to a lower environmental footprint.

Homeported at the USACE Fort Mifflin dock facility on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, the new dredge will be kept dockside on shore power in a standby mode as a "Ready Reserve" dredge to perform urgent or emergency dredging when needed. It will also complete 70 days of dredging in the Delaware River on an annual basis.