Houston-based Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (NASDAQ:GLDD) has exercised its option to build a second 6，500-cubic-yard-capacity Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge at Conrad Shipyard in Amelia， Louisiana.

　　The new vessel will be a sister ship to the Galveston Island， which is under construction with delivery in early 2023. This second vessel is planned for delivery in the first quarter of 2025.

　　GLDD is the largest provider of dredging services in the United States. It’s hopper dredge fleet， also the largest in the U.S. dredging industry， includes the ATB Tug Douglas B. Mackie and 15，000-cubic-yard-capacity barge Ellis Island and the Galveston， Liberty， Terrapin， Dodge and Padre Islands.

　　“As the leader in the U.S. Dredging industry， Great Lakes continues to strategically invest in its dredging fleet，” said Lasse Petterson， President and CEO at GLDD. “This highly automated new build vessel will be well-suited to multi-use applications on various project types. It will be deployed for channel deepening， maintenance dredging， beach nourishment， and coastal restoration projects to meet our nations’ maritime infrastructure needs. This vessel reinforces our commitment to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the robust U.S. dredging market.”

　　The two newbuilds support the continued modernization and diversification of Great Lakes’ fleet. The vessels will feature two 800mm suction pipes and will be able to dredge at depths of up to 100 feet， with principal dimensions of approximately 346 feet in length， 69 feet in breadth， 23 feet in depth and 16，500 total installed horsepower.

　　The dredge will be equipped with a direct high-power pump-ashore installation， dredging system automation， dynamic positioning and tracking， U.S. EPA Tier IV compliant engines， and additional features designed to minimize the impact of its dredging process on the environment. The Tier 4-compliant engines significantly reduce the vessel’s climate footprint， while other features minimize turbidity and marine species entrainment.

　　Best-in-class accommodations will feature single-occupancy staterooms， a workout room， and an innovative movie theater with raised seating that doubles as a training facility.

　　In 2020， GLDD moved its corporate headquarters to Houston from Chicago， where it had been located since its founding in 1890， as it is expands its core business into the rapidly developing offshore wind energy industry.

　　As of February 2022， the company’s orderbook consisted of the Galveston Island along with two new multicat support vessels and three new scows with expected delivery in 2022. It’s also upgrading the cutter suction dredge the Carolina and its largest booster station， the Buster， to improve nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions. Both vessels will work on the first phase of the Houston Shipping Channel Widening project starting this year.

　　GLDD also has a Jones Act-compliant inclined fallpipe vessel for subsea rock installation for the U.S. offshore wind market on order at Philly Shipyard. Expected delivery of that vessel is expected in the second half of 2024.