Author: Richard Balzano

Remember the massive 20,000- container ship under the Panamanian Flag that blocked the Suez last year, halting as much as $10 billion in trade per day? Well, we now have our own version of this calamity right in our backyard in the Chesapeake Bay. The Ever Forward is a Hong Kong-flagged, 11,850-container ship that is aground just south of Baltimore in the Chesapeake Bay. The vessel steered off…

On April 1st, DCA member Mike Hooks LLC announced another milestone event, the launching of a new 27-inch cutter suction dredge named the “Lorraine Hooks,” named after the beloved matriarch and wife of founder Mike Hooks. The Dredging Contractors of America extend their congratulations to the team for their successful launch and for their continued investment in American-made equipment and personnel;

As a family-owned business since 1945, we remain dedicated…

The pandemic has enabled us all to better understand the complexity of the global supply chain, its fragility due to years of federal underinvestment in critical maritime infrastructure (such as our ports or the hardworking men and women who ensure ships safely reach our shores), the shipbuilding industry that builds and repairs the equipment we need, and the port workers who unload them and send cargoes across America, delivering…

On January 10th 2022, DCA Executive Director Richard Balzano spoke with the Waterways Journal about the outlook and challenges ahead for the dredging industry in 2022 and beyond.

Waterways Journal: What do you know about the Corps’ dredging plans, and when will they be announced? Have members of your industry had any input into them or interactions with the Corps?

Balzano: We know the Corps is working on them, and we understand…

WASHINGTON (October 26, 2021) – Dredging Contractors of America (DCA) honored U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) with its Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding leadership in support of critical maritime infrastructure investments. The award particularly notes his advocacy of the much-needed Mobile Harbor expansion, as it is formed from a cutting tooth used on the dredging vessel Ellis Island during the project. Sen. Shelby tweeted regarding his…

Dear Members,

As CEO and Executive Director of the Dredging Contractors of America, it is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to the DCA 2021 Annual Meeting.

We have a distinguished panel of guest speakers this year, including, from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE): Major General William H. Graham, Jr. Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations; Ms. Margaret Gaffney-Smith, Acting Chief, Operations and…

Galveston, TX – June 21, 2021 – Callan Marine, Ltd. announces the release of the tender package for construction of its latest fleet addition, a trailer suction hopper dredge to be named The Admiral Nimitz. The Admiral Nimitz will be the nation’s largest capacity trailing suction hopper dredge.

The Admiral Nimitz has an overall length of 422 ft. and a breadth of 92’ and has a hopper capacity of 16,000 cubic yards. The Nimitz…

Congress recently made a major, if little noticed, new investment in American infrastructure. As part of the year-end budget deal, lawmakers released $10 billion that had been locked away in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) to be used for its intended purpose: dredging U.S. harbors to keep our ports open and to support U.S. economic and national security.

Maritime infrastructure is an indispensable national asset, which is why the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recognizes the Maritime Transportation System (MTS) as one of the seven critical subsectors within…

The American Maritime Partnership (AMP), the voice of the nation’s domestic maritime industry, today applauds the new Executive Order to be signed by President Biden on January 25, 2021, “Strengthening ‘Buy American’ Provisions, Ensuring Future of America is Made in America by All of America’s Workers.”  Signaled as a priority, the Executive Order formally confirms the Biden Administration’s policy to strongly support American Maritime workers and businesses serving…

Quincy, MA — Today, Cashman Dredging and Marine Contracting Co., LLC of Quincy, Massachusetts, announced the execution of a design contract with IHC America Inc. for a new 6,500 cubic yard trailing suction hopper dredge. The new vessel will complement Cashman Dredging’s current fleet of specialized dredging equipment and will primarily service the coastal protection and navigation maintenance markets when it enters service in 2024.

“Innovation has always been a…