Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. is pleased to announce that on, April 16, 2020, Weeks Marine, Inc. (WMI) and Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG) signed a contract to construct a sister ship to the MAGDALEN, a Lloyds Register 356’ Twin Screw Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge. The new vessel will be constructed at Eastern’s Allanton Shipyard Panama City, Florida, resulting in hundreds of additional skilled jobs over the next year. This second Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge project for Weeks Marine, reflects Eastern’s commitment to building complex dredge vessels for the US Jones Act maritime industry, and secures its long history of being a successful diversified U.S. Shipbuilder.
The R.B.WEEKS, (ESG Hull 258) is named in honor of Richard B. Weeks, a co-founder of Weeks Marine and married to Magdalen Weeks, the namesake of the sister vessel MAGDALEN (ESG 256), also built by Eastern and delivered in December 2017. This new Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge is scheduled for delivery early 2023.
The Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge features the following characteristics:
Vessel Name: R.B. WEEKS
ESG Hull#: 258
Dimensions (Overall): 356’ x 79’-6”’x 27’-3”
Designer: Royal IHC
Main Engines: (2) GE 16V250 MDC IMOIII/EPA Tier 4
Main Propulsion: (2) Wartsila CPP in Nozzles
Main Gears: (2) Siemens (Flender)
Bow Thruster: (1) AC 730kW VFD Fixed Pitch Tunnel Unit
Main Shaft Generators: (2) x 3400ekW
Auxiliary Generator: (1) GE 6L250 MDC (1423ekW) IMOIII/EPA Tier 4
Emergency Generator: (1) Caterpillar C18 (430ekW) IMOII/EPA Tier 3
Classification: Lloyd’s Register, 100A1 Hopper Dredger, LMC, UMS
Flag & Regulatory: USA, USCG
Hopper Capacity: 8,550 yd³ (6540m3)
Accommodations: 26 Person
Eastern is proud to be part of the Weeks Marine, Inc’s. Team, building another dredge vessel, investing in the maritime future of America, and constructing this state-of-the-art “Jones Act” vessel to meet our Country’s growing needs.
Weeks Marine, Inc. is a respected large marine contractor that owns, operates, and maintains a diverse and extensive fleet of dredging and support equipment.
Weeks’ Dredging Division serves customers that require dredging for navigation and coastal restoration. The company’s dredging services ensure that both deep draft and shallow draft waterways are maintained for the transportation of goods, and shoreline protection projects protect infrastructure and economic viability of coastal communities. Weeks employs a talented and motivated workforce that includes managers, engineers, technicians, and support personnel — all with experience and qualifications that are second to none.
Established in 1919, the 100-year-old family-owned company has grown rapidly in recent decades and part of Weeks’ Dredging Division’s mission is continuous growth and improvement, which includes continuous investment. The R.B WEEKS is the latest announcement in the company’s capital plan. In 2019, the company launched the J.S. CHATRY, an advanced ocean-going cutter suction dredge (CSD) and in 2017, the hopper dredge MAGDALEN was launched with great success. Weeks aims for exceptional customer service, environmental responsibility sensibility, operational efficiency, and a long-standing commitment to safety in our mission to meet market demand.
Weeks Marine is headquartered in Cranford, New Jersey, and with a network of regional offices in Louisiana, Texas, Hawaii, Ontario, and Nova Scotia.
Eastern Shipbuilding is very pleased to be once again a part of the Weeks Marine, Inc. mission to be one of the premier providers of dredging services in the United States After the successful delivery and operation of the MAGDALEN, Eastern is excited to continue this valued customer relationship.
Eastern Shipbuilding Group is a family held shipbuilding company located in Panama City, Florida since 1976 and has been a long-time employer in Bay County Since 2008, Eastern has spent more than $75 million dollars upgrading and expanding its facilities and shipbuilding capabilities to continue expanding and meeting the needs of its commercial and government
customers.
Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. has two expansive waterfront facilities engaged in new construction and repair of all types of steel and aluminum vessels including: harbor/escort/ship assist tugs, offshore tugs, dredges, offshore/platform supply vessels, ATB’s, multi-purpose construction vessels, research vessels, firefighting vessels, barges, ferries, passenger vessels, fishing vessels, offshore patrol vessels, and inland towboats. Eastern maintains its role as one of the most diversified and innovative construction shipyards in the United States.
Eastern Shipbuilding Group continues to remain a custom shipbuilder, delivering 14 vessels of various sizes and designs over the past 30 months.
