EJE Dredging Service, as component of a public/private collaboration with Dare County, has actually taken distribution of a brand-new shallow-draft receptacle dredge on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
The newbuild Miss Katie left from Conrad Shipyard in in Morgan City,La on August 13, and also came to its brand-new residence port in Wanchese on August 19.
The dredge is the outcome of a yearslong partnership in between Dare County authorities and also Greenville, N.C.-based EJE Dredging Service, an exclusive companion that possesses and also runs the 156-foot-long dredge.
“With the arrival of the Miss Katie, we look forward to providing an open and navigable channel for the waterways in the region,” stated Jordan Hennessy, vice head of state of EJEDredging Service “The Miss Katie has been specifically developed and designed to ensure she will be able to safely navigate the channels and inlets of North Carolina. The split-hull configuration will allow spoil discharge in shallow waters, thus preventing the vessel from grounding on her own hopper load.”
On May 20, 2019, the Dare County Board of Commissioners with one voice authorized an agreement for the building and construction and also procedure of a brand-new shallow-draft receptacle dredge that might be made use of to attend to the substantial shoaling that takes place in numerous networks and also inlets throughout Dare County.
Funding for the job originated from a public-private collaboration with the state of North Carolina, in which the legislature designated $15 million from the Shallow Draft Navigation Channel Dredging and also Aquatic Weed Fund for the acquisition of the dredge, which will certainly play an essential duty in maintaining Dare County rivers available.
“The completion of Miss Katie and her long-awaited arrival here on the Outer Banks is a historic moment and will be a game-changer for watermen in Dare County,” stated Dare County Board ofCommissioners Chairman Bob Woodard “Commercial and recreational fishing are not just enormous economic drivers in our community; they’ve also been a way of life for thousands of folks here in Dare County for generations. It’s absolutely critical that we have the resources in place to properly dredge our channels and inlets that these watermen depend on as their highway to get to work every day—and thanks to the county’s partnership with EJE Dredging and the arrival of Miss Katie, we’ll be much better equipped to do just that.”
Once the essential Certificate of Inspection (COI) with the UNITED STATE Coast Guard is finished, Miss Katie will certainly be set up to carry out tactical dredging procedures throughout the area in order to attend to the recurring problems brought on by shoaling.
Miss Katie’s procedures will certainly be taken care of by the Oregon Inlet Task Force, whose participants will certainly be accountable for organizing, preparation and also checking the success of the dredging initiatives that are carried out.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am to stand here with Miss Katie behind me,” stated Oregon Inlet Task Force Chairman and alsoDare County Commissioner Jim Tobin “It’s been a long and arduous process, and I’m happy to declare that today it is complete. It’s official—and thanks to the crew that brought her up here, Miss Katie is home.”
EJE Dredging Service will certainly hold a ribbon-cutting and also christening event in collaboration with Dare County to officially commemorate the conclusion of the job later on this year.