(PANAMA CITY, Fla.) — Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) has been awarded a contract for Adele, a 10,464-cubic-yard trailing suction hopper dredge, to be built at ESG’s Allanton and Port St. Joe facilities. Delivery is scheduled for late 2028.
Adele will join The Dutra Group’s 9,870-cubic-yard trailing suction hopper dredge Stuyvesant serving the nation’s essential waterways.
“We are proud to partner with The Dutra Group on this exciting new project that will substantially enhance their operations,” said Joey D’Isernia, CEO of Eastern Shipbuilding Group. “As the most experienced builder of dredges in the U.S., including the highly anticipated MCHD for the U.S. Army Corps, we are confident that we will deliver an exceptional vessel that will meet Dutra’s customer’s unique needs.”
Based in San Rafael, Calif., The Dutra Group is a leading heavy civil marine contractor focused on strengthening the nation’s maritime infrastructure through sustainable dredging and marine construction.
“This major investment continues The Dutra Group’s recapitalization efforts and focuses our resources on Dutra’s commitment to supporting America’s Jones Act fleet, our U.S. shipyards, and our nation’s maritime and economic security needs,” said Bill T. Dutra, founder and chairman. “The Adele will be American-owned, American-built, American-flagged, and most importantly, American-crewed.”
The new vessel’s name honors Bill Dutra’s mother, Adele Coelho. She was born on Dec. 4, 1924, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Raised on the island of Molokai, she subsequently worked as a receptionist to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers at Pearl Harbor where she met Bill’s father Edward, who was then a captain in the U.S. civilian dredging fleet under the Jones Act.
At that time, the U.S. was at war, and it required the civilian fleet of dredges and transport equipment to ultimately retake the Pacific theater. Adele’s contribution to the civilian military fleet at Pearl Harbor was her patriotic way of defending her country’s heritage. She understood the importance of family, or Ohana, and embodied the Aloha spirit of love, kindness and respect. The new vessel will represent her heritage and commitment to her homeland. Guided by that spirit of Aloha, Adele will sail the tides and seas with strength and purpose, protecting the crew and inspiring all who serve aboard it.
This new addition to the U.S. dredging fleet also aligns with the Trump administration’s focus on American shipbuilding and the need for the United States to control its own maritime destiny.
“This state-of-the art, technically efficient new build vessel is designed meet our nation’s maritime infrastructure needs, now and in the future, as the low-cost provider dredging services, including channel deepening, maintenance dredging, beach nourishment and coastal restoration projects,” said Harry Stewart, president and CEO at The Dutra Group. “America’s military and consumers depend on our ability to keep our U.S. waterways open and safe.”
Adele is based on Royal IHC’s Beagle design. The IHC Beagle Mk2 is a twin-screw trailing suction hopper dredge with a maximum hopper capacity of 10,464 cubic yards. The hopper has a V-shaped cross section and is provided with a single row of bottom doors, which is ideal for quick offloading of dredged material. The design also incorporates a bow connection for high efficiency material pump off to service the shoreline and wetland material placement market. The hull shape is optimized with a bulbous bow to reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency.
The accommodation deckhouse and wheelhouse are situated on the fore ship. The wheelhouse has separate consoles for navigation and dredging, each positioned such that both the helmsman and the dredge master have excellent views of their respective operations. The intuitive hopper control chair is ergonomically shaped with the control and presentation of the dredging equipment around the dredge master at close hand, providing optimal control over all dredge processes.
The dredge has one engine room in the aft of the vessel. The dredge pumps are in a separate pump room and are driven by the main diesel engines through a reduction gearbox.
The collaboration between The Dutra Group, Eastern Shipbuilding Group and Royal IHC represents a blend of expertise and innovation. Eastern is experienced in building high-specification dredges in the U.S., which complements Royal IHC’s advanced design capabilities, state-of-the-art dredging equipment, automation, and environmental awareness.
Specifications
Dimensions: 347 by 79.5 by 37 feet
Hopper volume: 10,464 cubic yards
Total installed power: 13,290 hp
Suction pipe diameter 2 by 35.4 inches
Digging depth: 90 feet
Total loaded draft: 26.9 feet
Deadweight combined: 11,584 LT
– Eastern Shipbuilding Group
