Four Dredging Firms to Compete for $95 Million Army Corps Contract in Texas

The Dutra Group, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, Manson Construction and Weeks Marine will compete for orders under a firm-fixed-price hopper dredging deal in the Galveston District, the Army said.

First Published: July 31, 2026, 1:36 PM ET

SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA — Four marine construction firms will compete for orders under a $95 million Army contract to dredge shipping channels along the Texas Gulf Coast, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said on July 31, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET as announced on war.gov.

The firm-fixed-price award covers hopper dredging projects within the Corps’ Galveston District boundary, with work locations and funding set on each individual order. The contract carries an estimated completion date of July 31, 2031. The Army solicited bids over the Internet and received four, according to war.gov.

The Dutra Group, the San Rafael, California, marine contractor, will compete alongside Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. LLC, the Houston-based dredging comp any;Manson Construction Co., the Seattle marine builder; andWeeks Marine Inc., the Covington, Louisiana, contractor. Each firm holds an indefinite-delivery vehicle and will bid for task orders as the Corps issues them.

The stakes fall to the four competitors and to the ports they serve. Hopper dredges remove silt and sand that accumulate in navigation channels, keeping shipping lanes deep enough for cargo vessels. The Galveston District covers some of the busiest freight corridors in the country, including approaches to Houston, the largest U.S. port by tonnage. Shippers, refiners and dredge crews stand to gain from steady maintenance work; firms that lose bids forgo the revenue.

The award marks a milestone for two of the winners. This is the largest contract ever recorded for The Dutra Group, surpassing its previous high of $75,357,737, and it is the company’s fourth award of 2026, lifting its yearly total to $209.9 million. The deal is the first database entry for both Great Lakes Dredge & Dock and Weeks Marine, establishing each company’s initial benchmark in the Army portfolio. Manson Construction, on its third award of the year, set a company record as well, eclipsing its prior high of $13.3 million and pushing its 2026 total to $121.2 million.

For the average reader, the work rarely draws notice, yet it underpins the flow of imported goods and exported energy. Channels that silt up force vessels to carry lighter loads or wait for high tide, which raises freight costs that ripple into consumer prices. Maintenance dredging keeps those costs in check.

The magnitude sits in the middle of the Army’s 2026 spending range. The award exceeds the portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $9.1 million but trails the maximum of $53.9 billion, according to war.gov. It ranked among 23 Defense Department contracts issued nationwide that day and stood as the 87th such award in California during 2026.

This has happened before. The Corps routinely bundles Gulf Coast dredging into multiple-award contracts, letting a small pool of specialized firms compete order by order rather than locking one vendor into years of work. The structure spreads risk and keeps pricing competitive across a fleet-intensive industry.

The Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District will decide which firm receives each task order. A schedule for the first order has not been announced.

Gulf Coast dredging has shaped Texas commerce for more than a century. The Houston Ship Channel, dredged to 25 feet and opened in 1914, transformed an inland city into a major seaport after a hurricane devastated Galveston in 1900 and pushed trade upriver. Federal dredges have deepened the channel repeatedly since, most recently past 45 feet, and the maintenance work handed to contractors keeps that gateway open for the tankers that made Houston the nation’s leading energy port.

This contract represents the 4th contract awarded to The Dutra Group, San Rafael, California (W912HY-26-D-A018), in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $209,904,950. It is also the 87th Department of Defense contract awarded in California during 2026. This is the largest contract ever awarded to The Dutra Group, San Rafael, California (W912HY-26-D-A018), surpassing the company’s previous record of $75,357,737, and it is notable within the Army portfolio. Specifically, it falls between the 2026 Army portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $9,051,490 and maximum of $53,859,843,289. Overall, this award was announced among 23 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 31, 2026. This contract represents the 1st contract awarded to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. LLC, Houston, Texas (W912HY-26-D-A019), in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $95,000,000. Because this is the first award to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. LLC, Houston, Texas (W912HY-26-D-A019) recorded in the database, it establishes the company’s initial benchmark within the Army portfolio. This contract represents the 3rd contract aw arded toManson Construc tion Co., Seattle, Washington (W912HY-26-D-A020), in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $121,231,775. This is the largest contract ever awarded to Manson Construction Co., Seattle, Washington (W912HY-26-D-A020), surpassing the company’s previous record of $13,322,000, and it is notable within the Army portfolio. This contract represents the 1st contract awarde d to andWeeks Mar ine Inc., Covington, Louisiana (W912HY-26-D-A021), in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $95,000,000. Because this is the first award to and Weeks Marine Inc., Covington, Louisiana (W912HY-26-D-A021) recorded in the database, it establishes the company’s initial benchmark within the Army portfolio. This contract represents the 4th contract awarded to The Dutra Group, San Rafael, California (W912HY-26-D-A018); Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. LLC, Houston, Texas (W912HY-26-D-A019); Manson Construction Co., Seattle, Washington (W912HY-26-D-A020); and Weeks Marine Inc., Covington, Louisiana (W912HY-26-D-A021), in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $209,904,950. This is the largest contract ever awarded to The Dutra Group, San Rafael, California (W912HY-26-D-A018); Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. LLC, Houston, Texas (W912HY-26-D-A019); Manson Construction Co., Seattle, Washington (W912HY-26-D-A020); and Weeks Marine Inc., Covington, Louisiana (W912HY-26-D-A021), surpassing the company’s previous record of $75,357,737, and it is notable within the Army portfolio.