By Jonathan Gilbert (Bloomberg) -- Sand shoveled out of an Argentina river used to transport soybeans will soon reappear 1,100 kilometers (700 miles) away in the country’s booming shale fields. Tecpetrol SA, part of billionaire Paolo Rocca’s empire, has started buying sand that Belgium’s Jan de Nul hauls from banks on the Parana River to frack for natural gas in Vaca Muerta, … [Read more...]
Royal IHC Launches World’s Largest Cutter Suction Dredger ‘Spartacus’
Dutch engineering group Royal IHC has launched the world's largest cutter suction dredger being built for Belgian dredging firm DEME. The vessel, named Spartacus, also happens to be the first cutter suction dredge to be powered by LNG fuel. The 164-meter, self-propelled Spartacus has capacity of 44,180kW and is equipped with four main engines plus two auxiliary … [Read more...]
U.S. Energy CEOs Urge Trump to Fund Port of Corpus Christi Dredging
CEOs of six well-known American energy companies signed a letter addressed to President Donald Trump on Wednesday in support of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project (CIP). The CC Ship Channel Improvement Project will widen the Corpus Christi Ship Channel to 530 feet, plus add additional barge shelves, to allow for two way vessel and barge traffic. It will also … [Read more...]
USACE Awards Record $213 Million Contract to Dredge Charleston Harbor Entrance Channel
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $213 million contract to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company as part of the project to deepen the entrance channel to Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. The contract represents the largest dredging contract ever awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The $213.3 million contract award calls for the removal of … [Read more...]
Boskalis Taking 24 Vessels Out of Service
Dutch marine contractor Boskalis announced Monday that it is moving ahead with its plan to take two dozen vessels out of service and layoff hundreds of workers after its work council approved the plan. The plan, which will take place over the next two years, will see 24 vessels taken out of service resulting in the loss of 650 jobs worldwide. The plan is expected to kick off … [Read more...]