J. E. Borries Purchses New DSC Dredge for Gulf Coast Barrier Island Reconstruction
J.E. Borries Inc. a 22-year-old familyowned full-service marine construction and dredging company based on the Mississippi Gulf Coast took delivery of an eight-inch Badger Class dredge by DSC Dredge LLC in December 2014. Prior to this dredge purchase J.E. Borries dredged by mechanical means using a long-reach excavator or a clamshell friction crane. Barrier island reconstruction is an ongoing effort along this section of the Mississippi coast following the siltation that occurred during Hurricane Isaac in 2012. The company recently was awarded a project by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources to complete the dredging of three bayous in and around Gulfport Mississippi.
Known as the “SUDS” project the dredging of the Stark Upper Davis and Simmons bayous includes initial mechanical excavation with the fines being deposited into a 200-cubic-yard shallow-draft barge which transports the material to Deere Island a barrier island close to Gulfport. The material comprises sandy silt with minor amounts of “gumbo” clay (sticky black gray or green-colored clay) and shells.
After reaching Deere Island the dredged material is offloaded into a holding cell and then deepened and turned by the Badger dredge which re-excavates the material and pumps it approximately 2000 feet away. The dredge depth obtainable to the natural hard sand bottom in the holding cell is nine-feet-plus. By the end of the project approximately 170000 cubic yards of material will be deposited on the island for use as fill.
The project would require both hydraulic and mechanical dredging. With environmental and other regulatory concerns in addition to concerns about the very shallow waters of the area J.E. Borries’ owner Jason Borries conducted extensive research on hydraulic dredges. Borries said he chose to work with DSC based on the company’s design capability the Badger dredge’s availability and affordability and DSC’s customer service and training.
The Badger Class 8” x 8” Cutterhead Dredge is manufactured by DSC at its Greenbush Michigan facility. It is ideal for smaller dredging jobs where more compact equipment is required due to work area limitations. With a working width of just under 10 feet and an overall length of 54 feet including the ladder the Badger Class dredge can be maneuvered into harder-to-reach waterways not accessible by larger crafts yet it still can dig to a depth of 20 feet at a 60-degree down angle on the ladder. The lateral cut achieved by the Badger Class dredge at maximum depth is approximately 50 feet. The Badger Class dredge is 9 feet 2 inches tall and can be transported on a single truckload.
Offered in an 8-inch discharge/suction configuration the Badger Class dredge leverages a three-compartment hull centered by the engine and pump compartment which is molded to the two iron-framed side tanks to form a single heavy-duty piece reinforced with 10-gauge plate throughout. The unit’s lever room and pump/engine room enclosures are built with 12-gauge plate for long service life. Meeting Tier III diesel emissions requirements a Caterpillar C7 ACERT engine provides 250 horsepower at 2200 rpm and is supported by a 150-gallon fuel tank. Sourced from Metso Minerals the Thomas Simplicity Dredge Pump is rated for 160 feet Total Dynamic Head (TDH) at 2500 gallons per minute. The five Rotzler winches are rated at a 4500-pound line-pull capacity and are used for swinging and lifting the ladder and lifting the spuds. The swing winches come equipped with 150 feet of 3/8-inch cable.
