Dredge Essayons arrives in Honolulu for annual maintenance

USACE Portland District’s hopper dredge Essayons arrived in Honolulu this week for its annual maintenance, repairs and upgrades.

“Our two hopper dredges – the Essayons and the Yaquina – typically spend March through November maintaining our region’s waterways for safe and reliable marine transit. Then, in their “off” season, which we call drydock season, they get all the self-care they’ve needed ahead of the next dredging season,” USACE said.

The dredge Essayons, operated by a merchant marine crew, was delivered to the Portland District in 1983.

According to USACE, this vessel helps maintain the entrance bars, rivers and harbors on the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Alaska and, in emergencies, the Mississippi River.

Because of its size and dredging depth, the Essayons is particularly well-suited for dredging the larger coastal entrances and larger volume sand deposits in river channels.