Eastern Shipbuilding delivers dredge vessel
This week, Eastern Shipbuilding Group announced the delivery of R.B. WEEKS, a 8,550 cubic yard capacity trailing suction hopper dredge constructed for Weeks Marine, Inc.
The vessel has been housed at their Port St. Joe lot for almost a year, where it underwent finishing, outfitting and sea trials before being delivered to the customer.
“It’s our pleasure to once again deliver a quality vessel on time and on budget to our valued customers at Weeks Marine, Inc.,” said Joey D’Isernia, president of Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. “The R.B. Weeks joins an impressive fleet that works alongside the Army Corps of Engineers to preserve our treasured waterways.”
According to Weeks Marine President and CEO Eric Ellefsen, the delivery of R.B. Weeks is a significant milestone for the company and the largest capital investment in Weeks Marine history, which spans over a century.
“We look forward to putting the R.B. Weeks to work deepening and maintaining navigation channels, restoring storm-damaged coastal barrier islands and nourishing beaches lost to erosion, aiding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other key clients,” he said.
The R.B. WEEKS 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, built by ESG. In nearly all respects, the R.B. WEEKS is identical to the MAGDALEN, delivered by ESG in 2017.
Details of the R.B. WEEKS
| Dimensions (Overall): | 364’-06” 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 |
| Reduction Gears: | (4) Siemens (Flender) |
| Bow Thruster: | (1) Wartsila Fixed Pitch Tunnel Unit |
| Main Generators: | (2) Hyundai |
| Auxiliary Generator: | (1) GE 6L250 MDC IMOIII/EPA Tier 4 / Hyundai |
| Emergency Generator: | (1) Caterpillar C18 IMOII/EPA Tier 3 |
| Classification: | Lloyd’s Register, X100A1 Hopper Dredger, XLMC, UMS |
| Flag & Regulatory: | USA, USCG |
| Hopper Capacity: | 8,550 yd³ (6540m3) |
| Accommodations: | 26 Person |
Meet the Editor
Wendy Weitzel, The Star’s digital editor, joined the news outlet in August 2021, as a reporter covering primarily Gulf County.
Prior to then, she interned for Oklahoma-based news wire service Gaylord News and for Oklahoma City-based online newspaper NonDoc.com during her four years at the University of Oklahoma, from which she graduated in May with degrees in online journalism and political science.
While at OU, Weitzel was selected as Carnegie-Knight News21 Investigative Fellow among 30 top journalism students from around the country. She also was senior editor managing a 12-person newsroom in coordination with Oklahoma Watch, a non-profit news organization in eastern Oklahoma.