Maintaining crucial navigation depth along deep-draft shipping corridors in the Gulf Coast region, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. has been awarded a $16,097,425 firm-fixed-price contract. The civil works award secures a fully crewed and equipped, self-propelled trailing suction hopper dredge for regional maintenance dredging, reaching a total cumulative face value of $16,460,725.
Contract Details: At A Glance
| Contractor: | Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. |
| Award Date: | August 20, 2026 |
| Contract Value: | $16,097,425 ($16,460,725 Cumulative Face Value) |
| Project: | Regional Maintenance Dredging via Self-Propelled Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge |
| Location: | Venice, Louisiana (Lower Mississippi River Region) |
| Contract Number: | W912P8-26-C-A040 |
| Awarding District: | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District |
District Context & Mission Impact
This critical maritime navigation project is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District. The New Orleans District manages one of the most complex water resources and navigation networks in the world, maintaining deep-draft access for the Mississippi River Ship Channel and Gulf Coast waterways. The lower reaches of the Mississippi River near Venice, Louisiana, serve as a primary gateway for international trade, carrying immense volumes of agricultural exports, petroleum, chemical products, and bulk raw materials. High river flows continuously deposit massive amounts of sediment in lower river reaches, creating dangerous shoals that restrict deep-draft ocean cargo vessels. Deploying specialized trailing suction hopper dredges ensures USACE can rapidly respond to emergency shoaling, preserving mandatory draft depths and keeping America’s busiest commercial navigation corridor open to global commerce.
Contractor Spotlight & Industry Context
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. is the nation’s largest provider of dredging services, maintaining a state-of-the-art fleet of self-propelled trailing suction hopper dredges, cutterhead pipeline dredges, and specialized marine vessels. Bids were solicited via the internet with four competitive proposals received. Operating trailing suction hopper dredges in high-traffic, heavy-current river channels requires sophisticated draghead positioning, dynamic positioning systems, large onboard hopper capacity, and experienced marine crews capable of operating continuously in open waters. Strategic partnerships between federal navigation managers and commercial dredging fleets remain fundamental to protecting supply chain security across the Gulf Coast through 2027.
