Ensley Engineer Yard To Receive New Deck Barge
The Memphis Engineer District has awarded Conrad Shipyard LLC of Morgan City, La., an $8.4 million firm-fixed-priced contract for the purchase of a steel-hulled deck barge.
The new barge will be used as support for a new stringout at Memphis-based Ensley Engineer Yard. Located at McKellar Lake, the new stringout will replace the eastern half of the current one.
Work on the new stringout includes dredging and the demolition of a current ramp, barges and pile clusters. A new eastern ramp and pile clusters will be installed, as well as a new GFE landing barge and GFE Poseidon barges.
According to the Memphis District’s June 9 announcement, construction is expected to be completed by December 2026.
The new steel-hulled deck barge will be used as a landing barge, meaning it will transport equipment from the ramp to the rest of the stringout barges.
“All utilities for the new stringout will run through the ramp to the landing barge out to the connected Poseidon Barges,” project manager Jacob Storz said.
Steel-hulled deck barges are commonly used for transporting various types of cargo, including pipe, piling fabricated structures and various equipment. These barges may also serve as work platforms by providing space for marine construction activities, such as pier or bridge building, dredging, and offshore operations. Steel-hulled deck barges may also be used to support logistics and operations in remote or shallow areas where full operation of larger vessels may not be possible.
“It is the last piece of GFE that had to be awarded before the stringout construction contract could be awarded,” Storz said. “We are currently awaiting the last of the funding for the stringout to go out for solicitation.”
According to Storz, the new stringout, which will replace barges more than 100 years old, is critical for the continued success of Ensley.
Storz praised the Memphis District contracting team for securing the much-needed barge.
“This contract award was required by the contractor working on the stringout renovation, so when others were unable to get it awarded as quickly as needed, our contracting team stepped up and committed to getting it done faster,” Storz said. “The Memphis District Contracting Team knocked it out of the park and absolutely delivered.”
Ensley Engineer Yard is a full-service marine maintenance facility designed to support the Memphis Engineer District’s navigation and flood control efforts. Though the Memphis-based business functions primarily as a shipyard, Ensley Engineer Yard’s facilities also include repair shops, warehouses, storage yards and administrative offices.
