Great Lakes Dredge and Dock (GLDD) formally named its newest Jones Act-compliant trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) in a ceremony in Galveston, Texas, on Thursday, October 23.
Amelia Island was built by Conrad Shipyard in Morgan City, Louisiana, and was delivered to GLDD earlier this year. Design work was undertaken by C-Job Naval Architects based in the Netherlands.
Like her earlier sister vessel Galveston Island, the TSHD has a length of 346 feet (105 metres), a beam of 69 feet (21 metres), a draught of 20 feet (6.1 metres), a total installed power of 16,500 hp (12,300 kW), and a hopper capacity of approximately 6,500 cubic yards (4,970 cubic metres).
The vessel will also be capable of dredging at depths of up to 100 feet (30 metres) in coastal, port, and channel waters.
Amelia Island will replace some of the ageing dredgers in the GLDD fleet as part of a renewal program. She will support the activities of the US Army Corps of Engineers alongside her sister Galveston Island.