Hopper dredge Miss Katie arrives in Dare County

Dare County, in partnership with EJE Dredging Service, has announced that Miss Katie—the shallow-draft hopper dredge that has been under construction in Morgan City, Louisiana, since March 2021—has officially arrived on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Miss Katie departed from Conrad Shipyard in Louisiana on the morning of Saturday, August 13, 2022, and on the afternoon of of Friday, August 19, 2022, she arrived in Wanchese, which will serve as the dredge’s homeport.

“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,” said Dare County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bob Woodard.

The completion of the highly anticipated hopper dredge is the result of a yearslong collaboration between Dare County officials and Greenville, North Carolina-based EJE Dredging Service, a private partner that owns and operates 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,” said Jordan Hennessy, vice president of EJE Dredging 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.”

Once the necessary Certificate of Inspection with the United States Coast Guard is completed, Miss Katie will be scheduled to perform strategic dredging operations throughout the region in order to address the ongoing issues caused by shoaling.

Her operations will be managed by the Oregon Inlet Task Force, whose members will be responsible for scheduling, planning and monitoring the success of the dredging efforts that are undertaken.

EJE Dredging Service will host a ribbon-cutting and christening ceremony in partnership with Dare County to formally celebrate the completion of the project later this year.