The Dredge Amelia Island, the newest hopper dredge in the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. fleet, works offshore of Surfside Beach, South Carolina, July 27, 2026, as part of the USACE Charleston District's Grand Strand Renourishment project. Measuring 346 feet in length with a 6,330 cubic yard hopper capacity, the state-of-the-art vessel operates by lowering its dual 800mm suction pipes to vacuum sand into its hopper before pumping up to 5,000 cubic yards of material per hour ashore. The vessel's 16,500 total installed horsepower allows it to pump sand further down the pipelines, accelerating coastal protection efforts along the Grand Strand.
The primary purpose of this renourishment is to build a wider, higher beach and dune system...
