The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District said its trailing arm suction hopper dredge Essayons arrived in Honolulu earlier this month for its annual overhaul, maintenance, and repair period.
Pacific Shipyards International LLC was awarded the $8.8 million firm-fixed-price repair contract through a competitive bid process. The Honolulu shipyard was one of three bidders for the project, according to the Defense Department.
Work is scheduled to be completed by Feb. 20, 2026.
“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,” the USACE Portland District said on social media.
Built by Bath Iron Works in Maine, the 6,243-cubic-yard-capacity Essayons was delivered to the Corps in 1983. It is operated by a merchant marine crew and homeported in Portland Ore.
As the largest hopper dredge in the Corps' West Coast fleet, the 350'x68' vessel helps maintain entrance bars, rivers, and harbors along the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, and Alaska. It also supports operations on the Mississippi River during emergencies.
According to the Corps, the Essayons’ size and 94' maximum dredging depth make it particularly well suited for dredging larger coastal entrances and high-volume sand deposits in river channels.
