Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG), Panama City, Fla., in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Royal IHC, held a keel laying ceremony in January for the new medium-class hopper dredge Donnelly at the shipbuilder’s Allanton facility.
The 320'x72'x28' trailing suction hopper dredge has been under construction since April 2025. Eastern Shipbuilding Group Chairman and CEO Joey D’Isernia said the event reflected steady progress on the program as modular construction advanced.
“Our workforce is executing this program with a strong focus on quality, safety, and schedule performance, and we are proud to be building a hopper dredge that will support the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ mission for years to come. We value the close collaboration with USACE and Royal IHC as we move forward with construction,” D’Isernia said.
The Donnelly is being built to replace the 57-year-old 318.9'x73.9'x32.9' McFarland, one of four oceangoing hopper dredges owned and operated by the Corps of Engineers, and will support the Corps’ navigation mission maintaining federal channels and waterways that underpin U.S. commerce and national security. The vessel is scheduled to enter service in fiscal year 2028.
Ray Donnelly, the vessel's namesake, was the former chief of resource management for the USACE Philadelphia District, who retired in 2020 after a 44-year career spanning the U.S. Navy and the Corps. An ESG press release noted Donnelly played a key role in analyzing the Corps’ hopper dredge fleet and evaluating recapitalization needs, as well as overseeing financial management of the McFarland.
Designed by Royal IHC, the Donnelly’s draft will range from 11'3" when light, to 25'6" fully loaded. The vessel will carry up to 6,000 cu. yds. of dredged material and operate at dredging depths of up to 65' using twin trailing suction pipes. Accommodations will be provided for a crew of 26, with an endurance of about 18 days.
Diesel-electric propulsion will consist of one Wabtec 12V250MDC engine rated 3,150 hp at 900 rpm and two Wabtec 8L250MDC engines rated 2,250 hp each at 900 rpm. Power will be delivered to two Schottel SRP 460 L-drives fitted with 2,500-mm fixed-pitch, four-blade stainless steel propellers, each driven by 1,800-kW electric motors. Maneuverability will be supported by two Schottel STT 1 tunnel thrusters forward, each equipped with 49" fixed-pitch propellers and 375-kW electric motors. The vessel is expected to make about 12 knots with the hopper empty and 10 knots when fully loaded.
Ship’s service power will include a Cummins QSB7-DM emergency generator rated at 120-kW. The steel hull will be longitudinally stiffened and built to ABS class for unrestricted service under the society’s 2023 Rules for Building and Classing Marine Vessels, including notation for hopper dredgers and advanced control and automation systems.
The dredging plant, supplied by Royal IHC, will include two trailing suction pipes with gantries, dragheads fitted with hydraulically actuated visors and turtle exclusion devices, and two electrically driven high-efficiency dredge pumps (Type HRCS 156-33-65) with 25.6" suction diameter and 13.8" sphere passage. A Plumigator anti-turbidity overflow system will be installed to reduce environmental impact during operations.
An IHC Mission Master automated dredge system and integrated control and monitoring system will manage dredging functions, supported by a full navigation and communications package also supplied by Royal IHC.
Delivery of the Donnelly is expected in 2027.
