Cashman Announces Contract For Design Of New Hopper Dredge

Quincy, Mass.-based Cashman Dredging & Marine Contracting Company has announced a contract with IHC America Inc. for the design of a new 6,500-cubic-yard trailing suction hopper dredge.

Cashman has not yet named a shipyard, but the company expects the new dredge to enter service in 2024.

“Innovation has always been a driving force at Cashman,” said Jay Cashman, founder and chairman of the board for Cashman Dredging. “It’s the key to the company’s continued success in creating the next generation of modern infrastructure, in revitalizing the nation’s ports and waterways, in preserving the environment and in providing alternative sources of clean energy.

“This capital investment design announcement made today not only reflects Cashman’s unwavering commitment to this core principle but also demonstrates our dedication to supporting the nation’s infrastructure needs in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and to protecting U.S. economic and national security,” he said.

Rafael Habib, sales director for IHC America, said his team is excited to get to work on an innovative design for the Cashman dredge. Habib mentioned technology and maneuverability as two priorities in the design.

“This IHC dredge design will not only be one of the most technologically advanced dredges in the country with the latest safety features, but it will also allow Cashman to easily maneuver in shallow-draft areas, providing the company with greater dredge project versatility,” Habib said. “We look forward to working closely with the Cashman team in the weeks and months ahead.”

Frank Belesimo, executive vice president of Cashman Dredging, said the dredge’s maneuverability will distinguish it from many of the hopper dredges in the U.S. market.

“We are working closely with the designer to minimize the draft of the dredge so that we can operate in relatively shallow water,” Belesimo said. “The dredge will not operate in water as shallow as the Atchafalaya does, but relative to the average existing U.S. fleet, it will have a lower operating draft.”

The hopper dredge Atchafalaya has a capacity of 1,300 cubic yards—a fifth of the capacity of the upcoming dredge—and has a 7-foot draft. At present, the Atchafalaya is Cashman’s only hopper dredge, though Belesimo said the company is working toward converting an existing unit into a hopper dredge. Details on that project are forthcoming.

Cashman anticipates the new 6,500-cubic-yard hopper dredge will primarily serve in the coastal protection and navigation channel maintenance markets.

Houston-based IHC America, a U.S.-based subsidiary of Royal IHC, provides concept design, engineering, project management and local construction support for the dredging and mining industries.

Cashman Dredging & Marine Contracting provides dredging services on the East Coast, Gulf Coast and in the Caribbean. The company specializes in navigation, beach renourishment, environmental dredging and coastal resiliency. Other areas of expertise include pier construction, jetty and revetment construction and bulkhead construction. Cashman Dredging is part of the Cashman family of companies, which also covers heavy civil and marine construction, renewable energy, concrete LNG storage tank design and construction, environmental remediation, project development, barge and equipment leasing and mechanical construction industries.

Caption for photo: Cashman Dredging & Marine Construction plans  for the new dredge to enter service in 2024.