Bids were solicited via the internet with three
received. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama, with an estimated
completion date of December 6, 2024. The New Orleans Engineer District is the contracting
activity.
Features of Alabama Shipyard’s 355-acre facility include 8,000 linear feet of available pier
space and one of the largest docks in the U.S., enabling it to service a wide
range of vessels in operation today.
With a length of over
408 feet and a 8,256 cubic yards maximum load capacity, the Wheeler is
the largest hopper dredge in the USACE fleet and, on a good operating
day, can remove 100,000 cubic yards of material, or about 7,000 dumptruck
loads, from a project site.
Built by Avondale
Shipyards and in service since 1982, the Wheeler was repowered in 2013 when its original Cooper Bessemer main propulsion
and dredge generator engines were replaced with Caterpillar C280 diesel engines.