USACE Rock Island District expands crane barge fleet

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Rock Island District headquartered in Illinois recently added a vessel to its fleet of heavy-lift crane barges used on projects along the Mississippi River.

The vessel will be named Quad Cities and will replace a similarly named older crane barge that has been in use by the Rock Island District since 1986.

The newer barge has a 193-foot (58.8-metre) boom crane that can rotate a full 360 degrees and lift up to 500 tons (453 tonnes). These capabilities make it suitable for lifting lock and dam gates at USACE facilities in the Upper Mississippi.

Quad Cities will be formally named in a ceremony in Davenport, Iowa, on Thursday, May 13.