Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corp., Houston, has christened its newest Jones Act–compliant trailing suction hopper dredge, the Amelia Island. The vessel was designed by C-Job Naval Architects, Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, and built by Conrad Shipyard, Morgan City, La.
The christening ceremony was held in October at Pier 21 in Galveston, Texas.
The 346'x69'x23' dredge carries 16,500 hp and features two 31.5” trailing suction pipes capable of dredging depths up to 100’. The vessel has a hopper capacity of 6,330 cu. yd. and is equipped with EPA Tier IV engines and generators.
According to Great Lakes, the Amelia Island was built to operate efficiently and safely in shallow and narrow waters across all U.S. coasts. It is designed for a range of projects, including beach renourishment, coastal protection, channel deepening, and maintenance dredging.
The Amelia Island was delivered in August and immediately went to work, said Great Lakes President and CEO Lasse Petterson in the company's third-quarter financial report. The new dredge has a full schedule for 2025 and 2026, according to Petterson.
The Amelia Island joins its sister ship, the Galveston Island, which was also built to expand Great Lakes’ capacity to support U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects and broader U.S. dredging industry needs.
