Panama Canal Delivery

In April of 2019 Pacific Dredge & Construction, LLC selected the Shearer Group Inc. to design and Corn Island Shipyard of Ohio to build a pair of ABS Load-Line, split-hull dump scows. PDC 2001 and PDC-2002 measure 200 by 42 feet and each has a capacity of 2,000 cubic yards. Previously, Corn Island Shipyard built a pair of 300 cubic yard dump scows for PDC which have been very successful in dredging operations in California.

PDC-2001 and PDC-2002 were launched in the spring of 2020. After being tested and fitted out for towing an Ohio river truckable tug Eagle, which adds to the growing dredge capacity and support of the Company.

The scows and Eagle were transported down the Ohio River thru 4 sets of Locks to Cairo Illinois at the confluence of the Ohio River and the Mighty Mississippi. Once in Cairo a larger Mississippi river tug picked up the scows and added them into a different raft to be transported down the Mississippi to Harahan. During this leg of the trip the Scows transited another 700 river miles plus 2 more lock structures to be delivered to Harahan LA. From Harahan another transportation company, Patriot Marine was contracted. They provided a Smaller powerful tug capable of transiting the smaller locks thru Bayou Lafourche to their holding place at Leeville. Due to the size of the Scows and the small locks and shallow bayou waters Patriot had to take the scows one at a time from Harahan to Leeville. Here they received final ABS inspection and PMG crew outfitting to make the trip thru the Panama Canal with the Tug Katherine. The two new scows joined the PDC fleet after making the long journey down the Ohio River to New Orleans, and then through the Panama Canal arriving in San Diego mid-July, 2020. Performing the tow was the 3,000 tug Katherine, another acquisition of PDC’s parent Company Pacific Maritime Group, Inc. dba Pacific Tugboat Service.