EXCLUSIVE: ESG lays keel for new USACE hopper dredger Donnelly

Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) held the keel laying ceremony for new medium-class hopper dredger Donnelly at its Allanton shipyard yesterday.

In 2023, ESG was contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to design and construct the new hopper dredger for the Department of Defense.

“We’ve built more hopper dredgers than any other U.S. shipyard so that’s special and we’re doing that right here from Bay County,” Joey D’Isernia, ESG CEO, said.

For this project, ESG has teamed with Royal IHC, a world-renowned designer and builder of dredging vessels and equipment. The Dutch company designed this tailor-made diesel-electric hopper dredger to precisely meet USACE requirements.

Vessel specifications:

• Length: 320’
• Beam: 72’
• Hull Depth: 28’
• Draft (hopper empty): 11’3”
• Draft (hopper full): 25’6”
• Maximum Hopper Capacity: 6000 yd3
• Maximum Dredging Depth: 65’

“The new hopper dredger will enter the USACE’s Ready Reserve Fleet and will play a critical role in the Corps’ navigation mission and provide for safe, reliable, effective, and environmentally sustainable waterborne transportation systems for vital national security, commerce, and recreation needs,” the Army Corps said.

The new vessel will replace the 57-year-old Dredge McFARLAND based in the Corps’ Philadelphia District. The Dredge McFARLAND is one of four oceangoing hopper dredges owned and operated by USACE.