Shipbuilder Seatrium AmFELS, Brownsville, Texas, has delivered the Frederick Paup, the largest self-propelled trailing suction hopper dredge built in the United States, to Manson Construction Co., Seattle.
Designed by Manson in partnership with Hockema Group, Seattle, the Frederick Paup measures 420'x81' with a 28'6" draft and hopper capacity of more than 15,000 cu. yds.
The vessel boasts approximately 25,000 hp, powered by three Tier 4 Wabtec 16V250MDC diesel-electric main engines and two 12V250MDC gensets, also from Wabtec. It is propelled by triple Schottel RudderPropellers type 510 L FP azimuthing stern drives and twin Brunvoll bowthrusters.
The ABS-classed dredge features dynamic positioning, integrated dredging systems, and power management systems. It is equipped a suite of Furuno electronics, including radar, FE-800 depth sounders, FA-170 AIS, GP-170 GPS, and Inmarsat-C Mobile Earth Station FELCOM18 GMDSS, as well as Simrad AP70 MK2 autopilot control.
The Jones Act–compliant newbuild surpasses Manson’s 13,500-cu.-yd. Glenn Edwards — built by Alabama Shipyard, Mobile, Ala., in 2006 — as the largest self-propelled hopper dredge ever constructed in the U.S. The hopper dredge Ellis Island, built in 2017 by Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc., Panama City, Fla., for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corp., Houston, also has 15,000-cu.-yd. capacity, but it is not self-propelled. It is paired with the tug Douglas B. Mackie and operated as an articulated tug barge.
Ordered in 2020, the Frederick Paup was originally scheduled for delivery in 2023, but the shipbuilding project faced significant delays. The delivery marks Seatrium’s last from the Brownsville shipyard, which was sold to Karpowership, Istanbul, in September 2025.
The new dredge will be deployed from Mobile, Ala., to support navigation channel maintenance, beach nourishment, and coastal restoration projects. These projects are largely conducted for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including efforts to increase the beneficial reuse of dredged material.
