Callan Marine Widens Nation's Energy Net 

Editor: Debbie Reaney 

Callan Marine is wrapping up a national critical infrastructure project that will render the Corpus Christi Ship Channel the most improved in the entire U.S. Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida. This job is extremely important, as the Port of Corpus Christi is the nation's largest U.S. energy export gateway and third largest seaport in total waterway tonnage. The Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project (CCSCIP) is a four-phase undertaking that has been underway for nearly three decades which included the massive task of deepening and widening the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. Closing in on 2024, the Port of Corpus Christi and its customers can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

In 1990, Congress authorized a study to determine the feasibility of expanding the Corpus Christi Ship Channel through widening and deepening the waterway. After many years of planning, the project advanced to construction in 2017. Phases 1 through 3, which included the dredging work to improve approximately 11.9 miles of the associated shipping channel, effectively widening the channel from 400 feet to 530 feet and deepening it from 47 feet to 54 feet. This task was completed by Texas-based dredging companies Callan Marine, Ltd. and Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, LLC. Recently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District (SWG) awarded Callan Marine, Ltd. the contract to finish out the final multimillion dollar contract for the CCSCIP Phase 4, which is expected to be finished in early 2025, making the ship channel the most improved waterway along the U.S. Gulf Coast.  

As separate efforts continue to advance to deliver a higher-clearance Harbor Bridge over the Inner Harbor entrance to the port by 2024, Callan Marine will complete dredging on the final stretch of the project--the Inner Harbor reach. When the entire project is complete it will use roughly five million cubic yards of dredged material in the construction of beneficial use sites for wildlife and erosion control, by providing 395 acres of sacrificial erosion protection along with the construction of a 2,000-foot breakwater that will tie into a currently planned 4,000-foot breakwater in the Nueces Delta. The project also aims to nourish degraded habitats by converting 206 acres of open water into an estuarine marsh. An additional 120 acres of intertidal living shoreline will be created to provide shoreline protection and prevent road overtopping, along with the creation of a separate 200-acre industrial use site for local economic and commercial entities. To aid in this sensitive and important project, Callan reached out to International Construction Equipment, Inc. (ICE®) and selected an ICE® 44B Vibratory Hammer with sheeting clamp for the template and sheet pile work to support this massive earth retention wall. The 44B, which has the highest frequency and driving force in its class, was also used along with an ICE® I-36 & ICE® I-46 Diesel Hammer to drive 24" (inch) pipe and H-piles down to tip, securely installing the deep foundation needed to support this structure. 

Callan Marine has made great progress so far, not only for the Port of Corpus Christi, but for the entire Coastal Bend region, bringing a wealth of opportunities for future economic prosperity and growth. Amazing work by this fantastic team of professionals! International Construction Equipment Inc. (ICE®) appreciates the opportunity to be a small part of this historic infrastructure project and looks forward to continuing to supply the equipment and excellent service our clients, like Callan Marine, can count on. 

Learn more about the ICE® 44B Vibratory Hammer and our ICE® I-Series Diesel Hammers 

Media Contact-     
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA     
Vice President Marketing, Brand and Media Relations  
Vice President IT and IT Comm  
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc     
Office - 704-821-8200     
Email - marketing@iceusa.com