Weeks Marine welcomes new TSHD

Christmas came early for Weeks Marine with the delivery of its new, self-propelled trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) Magdalen.

The 6,540-cubic-metre TSHD passed her sea trials and inspections on December 22 before Eastern Shipbuilding sailed Magdalen from Panama City, Florida to the east coast less than a week later.

Weeks' Senior Vice President J Stephen Chatry said Magdalen, which is among America's largest TSHDs, would start work on the protection of Highway 12 in the Buxton area on North Carolina's Outer Banks.

Named after Richard and Ted Weeks' mother, Magdalen Noll Weeks, the 108.5-metre TSHD has a 24.24-metre beam and a moulded depth of 8.31 metres.

Magdalen has twin GE engines producing 4,240kW each, and an auxiliary engine producing 1,500kW.

Magdalen effectively doubles the company's hopper dredging capacity, joining the RN Weeks and BE Lindholm among the Weeks fleet.