(PANAMA CITY, Fla.) — On Sept. 11, Eastern Shipbuilding Group conducted the keel laying for R.B. Weeks, ESG Hull 258, a new trailing suction hopper dredger for Weeks Marine Inc. (WMI), following the contract signing five months earlier. Steel cutting commenced on Aug. 19.
This new U.S.-flag dredge is be constructed at Eastern’s Allanton Shipyard in Panama City. This is the second trailing suction hopper dredge project for Weeks Marine. Magdalen, ESG Hull 256, was delivered in December 2017. This reflects Eastern’s commitment to building complex dredge vessels for the U.S. Jones Act maritime industry and secures its long history of being a successful diversified U.S. shipbuilder supporting new and repeat customers.
R.B. Weeks is named in honor of Richard B. Weeks, a co-founder of Weeks Marine and married to Magdalen Weeks, the namesake of the previous sister vessel. This new dredge is scheduled for delivery in early 2023.
Dimensions: 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: AC 730kW VFD fixed-pitch tunnel unit
Main shaft generators: (2) x 3,400 ekW
Auxiliary generator: GE 6L250 MDC (1,423 ekW) IMOIII/EPA Tier 4
Emergency generator: Caterpillar C18 (430 ekW) IMOII/EPA Tier 3
Classification: Lloyd’s Register, 100A1 Hopper Dredger, LMC, UMS
Flag and regulatory: USA, USCG
Hopper capacity: 8,550 cubic yards
Accommodations: 26 crew
– Eastern Shipbuilding Group
