A new hopper dredger has entered service with a US operator while a support workboat has been launched by a Russian shipyard. Construction continues on a dredger for another US operator. Lastly, orders have been confirmed for dredgers to be deployed in New Zealand and Congo Brazzaville.
Russian shipyard Stroyliderplus recently launched a new dredging support vessel ordered by local port operator Rosmorport.
The workboat has been named Aliot (Алиот) after a star in the constellation Ursa Major. She is the second of three Project FPW1 vessels that are designed to support the operations of Rosmorport's Project FPDG3 non-self-propelled cutter suction dredgers in port and channel waters.
Beryl (Берилл), the first vessel in the Project FPW1 series, was handed over to Rosmorport in late 2025 while construction is ongoing on Antares (Антарес), the third vessel.
Manson Construction has formally named its newest trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD).
The Jones Act-compliant Frederick Paup was constructed at the Seatrium AmFELS shipyard in Brownsville, Texas, and is slated for deployment in Mobile, Alabama.
The TSHD measures 420 feet (130 metres) long and 81 feet (25 metres) wide and has a hopper capacity of more than 15,000 cubic yards (11,000 cubic metres).
Congo-based marine services company La Congolaise des Voies Maritimes (CVM) and Dutch builder Royal IHC have entered into an agreement for the construction of a new trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD).
Royal IHC said the TSHD will be customised to meet CVM’s specific operational needs, including greater autonomy, upgraded bow thruster and propulsion power, expanded accommodation, and advanced automation systems, thus optimising performance in challenging riverine conditions.
"This new vessel is essential in maintaining navigability along the Congo River, ensuring that we keep the strategic ports of Boma and Matadi accessible," said Jeanne Blandine Kawanda Walwom, Director General of CMV.
The New Zealand Government will invest NZ$8 million (US$5 million) in a new crane-equipped hopper dredger to ensure vital supplies can be delivered to regional communities cut off by natural disasters and other major emergencies.
Associate Transport Minister James Meager said that recent storms and major events like Cyclone Gabrielle can, "significantly impact communities," thus leaving sea transport as the only means of delivering essential supplies due to road and rail links being rendered unavailable.
"However, there have been cases of vital goods unable to get into ports, including in Greymouth, Whanganui and Opotiki, as the sites require dredging to ensure enough depth for ships’ access," Meager remarked.
The Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City, Florida, has laid the keel of a new trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) ordered by San Rafael, California-based construction company the Dutra Group.
The 347-foot (106-metre) TSHD will be named Adele after Adele Coelho, the mother of the Dutra Group Executive Chairman Bill Dutra. The vessel will utilise a design developed by Dutch engineering firm Royal IHC.
Notable features of the new dredger will include bottom doors for fast offloading and a bulbous bow to reduce water resistance. The wheelhouse and the accommodation block will be located near the bow.
