Now based in Galveston, the General MacArthur, the largest dredger in Callan Marine’s fleet, will be heading to the Corpus Christi Ship Channel to begin a $98 million dredging project. The 290-foot vessel includes 33 staterooms, an engineer’s office, a conference room, a recreational room, a galley, a gym, and more. Courtesy photo
A $98 million construction contract for the second phase of the Port of Corpus Christi’s four-phase dredging project was recently awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In charge of dredging the Corpus Christi Ship Channel to 54 feet from 47 feet will be Callan Marine Ltd. The channel also will be widened to 530 feet for a 2.7-mile stretch from Harbor Island past the LA Quinta Junction.
The General MacArthur, the largest dredger in the Callen Marine fleet, will be moved from Galveston to Corpus Christi sometime in the next few weeks. This Phase 2 portion of the project is expected be be completed in early 2022.
The first phase of the project, which dredged the channel from the Gulf of Mexico to Harbor Island, was completed in March by Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company LLC.
“The work will improve energy product transportation throughout at the Port of Corpus Christi by allowing larger vessels more efficient access,” said Colonel Timothy Vail, Corps of Engineers Galveston district commander, “which will boost the economic competitive advantage and energy security of the United States for decades to come.”
The dredging project has been 30 years in the making. The president’s fiscal year 2021 budget included $100 million in the Corps of Engineers' budget for the Coastal Navigation Construction project. The federal government has already appropriated $150 million for work on the Port of Corpus Christi, which provided an equal amount of its own money.
“We are extremely appreciative of the Army Corps of Engineers for acknowledging the strategic national importance of executing the Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project,” said Sean Strawbridge, Port of Corpus Christi chief executive officer. “As the largest export gateway for U.S.-produced energy destined for global demand markets, a deeper and wider ship channel will solidify the competitiveness of American energy on the world stage.”
The Port of Corpus Christi is the third-largest port in the United States in terms of tonnage.
