Posted on April 4, 2022
Yesterday, at Southwest Shipyard, LP in Galveston, we celebrated the launch of our new 27-inch cutter suction dredge “Lorraine Hooks,” named after the beloved matriarch and wife of founder Mike Hooks.
As a family-owned business since 1945, we remain dedicated to the safety of our people, to the environment, and to facilitating economic growth along the Gulf Coast through safe and sustainable dredging and environmental remediation services.
Once outfitted and complete, the 300-ft. x 50-ft. Lorraine Hooks, with a dredging depth of 75 feet, will be deployed on both coastal restoration and navigation dredging projects in Louisiana and across the region to improve climate resiliency and strengthen maritime infrastructure.
The dredge will be state-of-the-art, designed to meet the latest industry standards in safety, comfort, efficiency, and production. It will house “home-away-from-home” living quarters with A60 fire rating insulation and constructed on vibration mounts to reduce fatigue for the crew from harmonic vibrations and noise. There will be a NOVEC fire suppression system in the engine room and control rooms. A cutterhead platform will allow safe operations while maintenance is performed, and anchor booms will reduce human exposure to anchor handling. Operation monitoring displays and tablets will be throughout the dredge and quarters.
The Lorraine Hooks will now get a ladder gantry and anchor boom stops, a fresh coat of paint in Houston, and then return to Galveston for equipment install.
All of us at Mike Hooks, LLC are proud to share this milestone event with you and proud to be investing in Made in America.
