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…

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…

On December 22, 2020, the Dredging Contractors of America (DCA) praised congressional passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020 as part of the FY 2021 omnibus spending bill and urged President Trump to sign it into law. DCA’s CEO & Executive Director Richard Balzano made the following statement in support of WRDA’s passage:

“For the first time WRDA will open the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) for its…

The Dredging Contractors of America (DCA), the national trade association whose members are leading providers of dredging services for navigation, coastal protection, environmental restoration and shoreline resilience in the United States, announced on December 11, 2020, that Richard A. Balzano has been named Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director.

For more than 30 years Mr. Balzano has served the maritime trades in both the private and U.S government sectors. He…

Today, Seattle-based Manson Construction Co. announced the execution of a contract for the construction of a 15,000 cubic yard hopper dredge with Keppel AmFELS. Designed in collaboration with Hockema Whalen Myers Associates (HWMA), the Frederick Paup will be built at Keppel AmFELS’ facility in Brownsville, Texas and is slated to be fully operational in Spring 2023.

“This is an exciting time in the U.S. dredging industry,” said…

On July 30 Callan Marine of Galveston, Texas announced that a fifth cutter suction dredge (CSD), the General Bradley, will be added to the company’s fleet next year. The new dredge is a 28”, 341-foot long, diesel electric powered CSD with three ABC 12DCZ engines providing 9,260 total installed horsepower on board. Construction is already underway at Halimar Shipyard in Morgan City, LA, and the dredge is anticipated to begin…

Today, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (GLDD), the largest provider of dredging services in the United States announced the execution of a definitive contract for the construction of a 6,500-cubic-yard-capacity Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge (TSHD) with Conrad Shipyard of Morgan City, Louisiana. With expected delivery in the 1st quarter of 2023, the vessel will complement the company’s existing six-dredge Hopper fleet, including the ATB Tug Douglas B. Mackie and…

Today, Mike Hooks, LLC of Westlake, Louisiana announced it will be building a new state-of-the-art cutter suction dredge.  Originally founded in 1945 by Mike and Lorraine Hooks, the company is now entering its fourth generation of family ownership and remains dedicated to its mission of enabling economic growth through safe and sustainable dredging, marine construction, and environmental remediation along the Gulf Coast.