Biden attends steel cutting for Great Lakes Dredge and Dock’s new vessel

Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Corporation (GLDD), the largest provider of dredging services in the United States, said that the U.S. President Joe Biden yesterday attended the steel cutting ceremony for the construction of the Acadia, Great Lakes’ first offshore wind rock placement vessel.

The steel cutting occurred at Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Acadia represents Great Lakes Dredge’s entry into the U.S. offshore wind market.

President Biden was joined at the shipyard by Great Lakes’ President and Chief Executive Officer, Lasse Petterson and Philadelphia Shipyard’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Steinar Nerbøvik.

“We are pleased to be partnering with Philly Shipyard and look forward to continuing our collaborative working relationship during the construction of this first U.S. rock installation vessel. We are pleased to get construction started as Great Lakes has already won contracts for this Jones Act compliant vessel,” said Lasse Petterson.

“The Acadia will provide employment for U.S. union crews including at the steel mills producing the steel for the vessel, at the quarries producing the rock, at the ports and facilities loading our vessel, and the marine crews operating the vessel.”

The event was attended by Pennsylvania’s Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon as well as offshore wind developers, union representatives, industry manufacturers, vessel owners, contractors and aligned vendors.