Eastern Shipbuilding Announces Hopper Dredge Delivery
Eastern Shipbuilding announced that it delivered the dredge mv. Magdalen to Weeks Marine Inc. on December 22. The trailing suction hopper dredge was designed by Royal IHC.
The Magdalen is 356 feet long and 79 feet, 6 inches wide, with a draft of 27 feet, 3 inches. Its two GE 16V250 engines generate 5,682 hp. Its main GE 6L250 generator is backed by a Caterpillar C18 auxiliary generator.
It has a hopper capacity of 8,550 cubic yards, handled by a 1,600 kW dredge pump and two 1,600 kW booster pumps. Its bow thruster is a 730kW VFD fixed pitch tunnel unit.
The Magdalen is Weeks’ third hopper dredge. Construction was begun at BAE Systems, Mobile, Ala., before being taken over by Eastern. The Magdalen is Weeks’ largest, fastest, most fuel efficient, most powerful pumping, and most highly automated hopper dredge, and will double the company’s current hopper dredge capacity.
“From the outset of this project, the construction of the Magdalen has been an exceptionally challenging and rewarding experience,” said J. Stephen Chatry, senior vice president of Weeks Marine. “Fortunately for Weeks, the dubious start gave way to an extraordinarily successful finish, due in large part to the capabilities of Eastern Shipbuilding. In retrospect, the delivery of the Magdalen has everything to do with the partnership that was forged between Eastern, IHC and Weeks during the build. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to this monumental effort.”
“This successful project was the result of a close working relationship between Weeks and ESG,” said Joey D’Isernia, president of Eastern Shipbuilding Group. “The completion of a partially constructed dredge requires clear and open communication by both parties during the bidding phase and the execution phase. We thoroughly enjoyed working with Weeks on this project and look forward to seeing the Magdalen positively impact the Jones Act dredging market. With this delivery, ESG has firmly established itself as the go-to shipyard for construction of large and sophisticated dredging vessels.”
Weeks Marine is a diversified marine contractor involved in construction, bulk stevedoring, heavy lift, salvage, towing, and dredging. With roots in the New York metropolitan region, Weeks Marine was a regional dredging contractor until 1993, when it purchased American Dredging Company.
Eastern Shipbuilding’s original shipyard was established in 1976 to build commercial fishing boats for the company’s founder and president, D’Isernia, who owned a fishing fleet. By 1980, Eastern had built and delivered 26 commercial fishing vessels, and soon diversified into other vessel types. In 1981, Eastern delivered its first offshore supply vessels. Today, Eastern has built everything from offshore supply vessels to tugs, ATB’s, inland towboats, a SWATH vessel, passenger vessels, Ro-Ro passenger ferries, inland transport vessels, barges, fireboats, research vessels, offshore construction vessels, dredges, high speed passenger vessels and more.
