Maintaining deep-draft navigation channels, preventing severe shoal bottlenecks, and keeping South Louisiana’s vital commercial maritime corridors open to international shipping, Weeks Marine Inc. has been awarded a $70,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract. The major navigation support action provides one fully crewed and equipped hydraulic pipeline cutterhead dredge for high-volume maintenance dredging across designated waterways in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District.
Contract Details: At A Glance
| Contractor: | Weeks Marine Inc. |
| Award Date: | September 28, 2026 |
| Contract Value: | $70,000,000 (Maximum Capacity) |
| Project: | Fully Crewed Hydraulic Pipeline Cutterhead Dredge IDIQ |
| Location: | Designated navigation channels within USACE New Orleans District |
| Contract Number: | W912P8-26-D-A008 |
| Awarding District: | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District |
District Context & Mission Impact
This major marine navigation contract vehicle is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District. The New Orleans District oversees the lower Mississippi River, the Atchafalaya River basin, and surrounding coastal channels that together form the most critical maritime export gateway in North America. Heavy seasonal siltation, high-river water events, and coastal storm surges continuously deposit millions of cubic yards of sediment in deep-draft channels, threatening deep-draft cargo ship transit. Deploying a dedicated, fully crewed hydraulic pipeline cutterhead dredge allows USACE to rapidly issue task orders to remove shoal material, pump dredged sediment into designated marsh creation containment sites, and maintain uninterrupted commercial vessel traffic through September 2027.
Contractor Spotlight & Industry Context
Headquartered in Covington, Louisiana (with corporate origins in Cranford, New Jersey, and operating as a subsidiary of Kiewit Corporation), Weeks Marine Inc. is one of North America’s premier marine construction, dredging, and tunneling contractors. Bids were solicited via the internet with three competitive proposals received. Operating large-capacity hydraulic cutterhead pipeline dredges requires high-horsepower booster pumps, miles of discharge pipeline, attendant tug fleets, specialized anchor barges, and precise hydrographic bathymetric positioning systems capable of continuous 24/7 operations in heavy currents. Partnering leading regional marine contractors with USACE coastal navigation managers guarantees the Mississippi River ship channel remains reliable and resilient.
