Keel laid for the largest U.S. hopper dredger

Manson Construction and Keppel AmFELS held a keel laying ceremony for the hopper dredger Frederick Paup on August 2. 

The new dredger will be the largest self-propelled hopper dredger in the USA.

The ceremony was attended by dignitaries from the shipyard and Manson, including the vessel’s namesake, Manson Chairman of the Board and Executive Vice President, Fred Paup, who is a descendent of the company’s founder, Peter Manson.

“The Keppel AmFELS and Manson teams have been working well together, which is facilitated by our views on the importance of safety and quality,” Fred Paup said.

“Both companies share the core values of taking care of people, doing the right thing, and finding a better way. That has resulted in excellent communication and transparency throughout the build process. I would like to thank the Keppel AmFELS team and Manson’s project management team for their efforts in making this dredger become a reality.”

The keel laying represents the official commencement of construction of a maritime vessel in its final build position, in this case the starboard half of Hopper Bay No. 3.