The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Marine Design Center is managing the procurement of a dredge for the nation of Azerbaijan, as part of a broader U.S. Department of Defense program to enhance Azerbaijan’s maritime security.
The dredge will enable the Coast Guard of the State Border Service to operate its fleet of vessels and maintain access to the harbor entrance and shipping channels of ports located in the Caspian Sea.
The MDC, based in Philadelphia, is the Army Corps’ center of expertise for naval architecture and marine engineering. It manages the design and construction of barges, workboats, floating cranes, dredges and other vessels for USACE and other federal agencies.
“ MDC was very happy to assist the Navy with this exciting project, as it drew upon our expertise with dredging equipment and floating plant procurement to meet the project’s tight schedule and unique in-country mission requirements ,” said USACE MDC Director Brian Murtaugh .
When complete, the new cutter suction dredge will be used to maintain the harbor entrance and shipping channels of State Border Service Coast Guard ports in the Caspian Sea.
The 50-foot vessel will be designed to dredge to a maximum depth of 20 feet with a 42 horsepower cutterhead and pump the sediment through over 3,500 feet of floating discharge pipe.
The dredge will be equipped with two spuds, two swing winches and two anchors to facilitate the positioning and dredging operations.
All dredge functions will be powered by a single CAT C13, 440 horsepower rated engine, with a hydraulic system filled with U.S. EPA environmentally acceptable fluids.
In September 2019, MDC awarded a $1.2 million contract to DSC Dredge, a small business based in New Orleans, to design and construct the cutter suction dredge.
The contract will be administered in three phases. The first phase is ongoing now and includes engineering and design. The second phase includes construction and testing at the manufacturer facility in New Orleans and the third phase includes re-assembly and testing in Azerbaijan.