Page 38: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2025)

DREDGING

Expected to enter service in 2025, the Frederick Paup will ronmental bene? ts, and ef? ciency.

begin operations in Mobile Harbor and the Mississippi River, “So, we will be the Cookie Monster of dredges, eating up reinforcing Manson’s strong presence in the dredging sector. the work like crazy … we’ll be coming to a harbor near you “The Frederick Paup is years of experience and knowledge soon,” said Paup that Manson has built up with our hopper dredge Glenn Ed- wards,” said Paup, referencing the 2006-built and delivered THE JONES ACT & A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

Glenn Edwards a 13,000-cubic-yard dredge. The Jones Act has been, and will continue to be a hotly de- “The Frederick Paup is like the bionic man of dredges: she's bated requirement for operating in U.S. waters, and Manson bigger [15,000 yards versus 13,000 cubic yards]; she's faster, Construction’s adherence to the Jones Act is not just a legal ob- her hull form has been modi? ed [so she measures] 420 feet ligation—it is a fundamental commitment to national security, long by 81 feet wide,” said Paup. economic stability, and the preservation of American maritime

A key lesson learned came in the aftermath of Superstorm jobs according to Paup, as the law ensures that domestic mari-

Sandy, when Manson was working offshore New Jersey in time commerce remains in American hands, protecting the na-

February, putting two million cubic yards of sand back on the tion’s supply chains and bolstering its shipbuilding industry.

beach. Keeping workers out of the such conditioned as much For Paup and Manson Construction, the Jones Act guaran- as possible was a priority with the new Frederick Paup, and tees a level playing ? eld and supports a robust, skilled mari- with the new ships “we made it to where our crew can go bow time workforce. to stern and still be below deck. “For us, it's about an even playing ? eld. If it's going to cost

The new Wabtec powerplants were also an upgrade, as Paup me X dollars per day for a US shipyard, then I want my compet- explains “one of the bene? ts of engines being more modern, they itor to have that same thing,” said Paup. “I like to say ‘you can will be more fuel ef? cient, and their footprint isn't quite as big.” demand that I have a goat on the deck of a dredge as a require-

But the bene? ts don’t stop there, as Paup explained. “We ment, so long as my competitor has to have a goat on the deck could have gotten engines where you use urea to get to Tier of their dredge, I'm okay with it; that's ? ne. Just be consistent.” 4 emission levels, but we didn't want to do that. We've done “The Jones Act ensures that we maintain a strong domestic that before on one of our cutter section dredges … before we maritime industry,” says Fred Paup. “Without it, we would see repowered it for the third time to meet air quality requirements an in? ux of foreign-? agged vessels undercutting U.S. operators, and we knew that we didn't want that again. The complexity leading to job losses and a decline in shipbuilding capacity. We and the cost for doing diesel-electric versus straight diesel is a take pride in constructing and crewing our vessels in the U.S., lot of money but,” but that is made up over time in fuel, envi- and we stand against any efforts to undermine these protections.” 38 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • April 2025

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