The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers joined contractors Eastern Shipbuilding Group and Royal IHC on April 4, 2025, in Panama City, FL for a steel cutting ceremony, kicking off construction of a Medium Class Hopper Dredge to replace the Dredge McFARLAND of the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District. The first cuts were made by a CNC Plasma Arc Burning Machine on an 8’ x 50’ x 5/8” sheet of ABS-14 raw steel plate.