Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. said that on, August 19, 2020, the shipyard commenced steel cutting for R.B. WEEKS, ESG Hull 258, a new Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger for Weeks Marine, Inc. following the contract signing four (4) months earlier. The new vessel will be constructed at Eastern’s Allanton Shipyard Panama City, Florida. This is
the second Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge project for Weeks Marine, the MAGDALEN, ESG Hull 256 was delivered back in December of 2017. This reflects Eastern’s commitment to building complex dredge vessels for the US Jones Act maritime industry and secures its long history of being a successful diversified U.S. Shipbuilder supporting repeat customers.
The R.B.WEEKS, (ESG Hull 258) is named in honor of Richard B. Weeks, a co-founder of Weeks Marine and married to Magdalen Weeks, the namesake of the sister vessel
MAGDALEN (ESG 256), also built by Eastern and delivered in December 2017. This new Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge is scheduled for delivery early 2023.
The Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge features the following characteristics:
Vessel Name: R.B. WEEKS
ESG Hull#: 258
Dimensions (Overall): 356’ x 79’-6”’x 27’-3”
Designer: Royal IHC
Main Engines: (2) GE 16V250 MDC IMOIII/EPA Tier 4
Main Propulsion: (2) Wartsila CPP in Nozzles
Main Gears: (2) Siemens (Flender)
Bow Thruster: (1) AC 730kW VFD Fixed Pitch Tunnel Unit
Main Shaft Generators: (2) x 3400ekW
Auxiliary Generator: (1) GE 6L250 MDC (1423ekW) IMOIII/EPA Tier 4
Emergency Generator: (1) Caterpillar C18 (430ekW) IMOII/EPA Tier 3
Classification: Lloyd’s Register, 100A1 Hopper Dredger, LMC, UMS
Flag & Regulatory: USA, USCG
Hopper Capacity: 8,550 yd³ (6540m3)
Accommodations: 26 Person
About Eastern Shipbuilding
Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. has two new construction and repair facilities in Panama City, Florida and has been in business since 1976 building new, converting and repairing vessels in steel and aluminum of all types including: offshore and harbor tugs, offshore/platform supply vessels, multi-purpose construction vessels, research vessels, firefighting vessels, barges, ferries, passenger vessels, fishing vessels and inland towboats. Over the years, the Group has constructed and delivered twenty-eight Z-drive tugs of similar size and complexity for several customers in the United States. With these Z-Tech series tugs, Eastern maintains its reputation as one of the largest Z-drive tug new construction shipyards in North America.