Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) yesterday released a photo of trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) Magdalen working on the Terrebonne Basin Barrier Island and Beach Nourishment project.
The $160 million project will restore beach, dune, and marsh habitat within the Terrebonne Basin barrier shoreline system with restoration work on West Belle Headland, Timbalier Island, and Trinity-East Island.
The scheme will create and/or nourish approximately 1,0111 acres of barrier island habitat and 7.5 miles of beach using approximately 11.5 million cubic yards of sediment.
Sand for the restoration is being dredged from an offshore area known as Ship Shoal through a lease agreement with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
The project is funded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund utilizing fines and penalties from the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
The 356’ twin screw Magdalen, belonging to Weeks Marine Inc, was launched on March 31, 2017 at Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) Allanton facility in Panama City, Fla.
This highly automated hopper dredger has been specifically designed for beach nourishment and capital dredging works.
Since Weeks commissioned the vessel in December 2017, Magdalen has been on the job up and down U.S. coastal waters—from reclaiming beaches in New Jersey to removing silt in the Mississippi Delta.