Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAn American marine construction company specializing in dredging, land reclamation, coastal protection, and related infrastructure work.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company is an American marine construction and dredging contractor. Its work includes deepening and maintaining waterways, shipping channels, and ports; constructing and restoring beaches; excavating harbors; reclaiming land; restoring wetlands and aquatic habitats; and creating trenches for pipelines, cables, and tunnels. The company is described as the largest provider of dredging services in the United States and performs most of its work domestically, while international contracts have historically represented approximately one-quarter of its business. The company traces its origin to 1890, when William A. Lydon and Fred C. Drews established a partnership called Lydon & Drews. Its early work included shoreline structures associated with Chicago's Columbian Exposition. As the business expanded, it developed operations around the Great Lakes and adopted the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company name in 1905. During the first half of the twentieth century, the company participated in major Chicago and Great Lakes infrastructure projects. These included work on the Sabin Lock, the straightening of the Chicago River west of the Loop, the Michigan Avenue Bridge, and harbor facilities for Naval Station Great Lakes. It also reclaimed or built land later associated with prominent Chicago institutions and sites, including the Adler Planetarium area, Soldier Field, Meigs Field, and the Field Museum of Natural History. During the Second World War, it constructed the MacArthur Lock. In the postwar period, it expanded into oil-related dredging in the Gulf of Mexico. The company pursued international work more systematically after creating a foreign division in 1990. By 1993 it had secured significant Middle Eastern contracts, followed by projects in Europe, Africa, Mexico, and South America. Its international activities have included excavation and reclamation for the Øresund connection between Denmark and Sweden, dredging at Umm Qasr Port in Iraq, and construction of a port at Hidd in Bahrain. Corporate ownership changed repeatedly from the 1980s through the early 2000s. Great Lakes International Inc. became a holding company for the dredging business in 1979. The holding company subsequently passed through ownership involving ITEL Corporation, Blackstone Dredging Partners, and Vectura Holding Company, associated with Citigroup. Madison Dearborn Partners acquired it in 2003 for $340 million. In 2006, the business became publicly traded through the merger of Madison Dearborn's special-purpose acquisition company, Aldabra Acquisition Corp., with the company, after which Aldabra adopted the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock name. Madison Dearborn sold its remaining shares in 2009. More recent work has included coastal protection and environmental restoration. In 2010, through the Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure Group, the company helped build sand berms off Louisiana to reduce the movement of oil toward the coast after the Deepwater Horizon spill. In 2014, it was selected for a $185 million project to construct dunes and berms along 22 miles of the New Jersey shore damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The corporate headquarters moved from Oak Brook, Illinois, to Houston, Texas, in October 2020. The company has also faced litigation and regulatory enforcement. The 1992 Chicago Flood led to extensive litigation after work on the Kinzie Street Bridge breached an unused river tunnel. The resulting case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which held in Jerome B. Grubart, Inc. v. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. that admiralty law applied. Later controversies included a 2016 oil spill during marsh restoration in Louisiana and a 2023 settlement concerning the alleged disposal of dredged material outside an authorized site in the Gulf of Maine.
History
Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company began in 1890 as Lydon & Drews, a partnership founded by William A. Lydon and Fred C. Drews. The young contractor worked around Chicago and the Great Lakes, including shoreline construction for the 1893 Columbian Exposition. It adopted its present name in 1905 as its regional operations expanded. From 1900 through 1950, the company contributed to important Chicago-area civil works. Its projects included the Sabin Lock, alteration of the Chicago River west of the Loop, the Michigan Avenue Bridge, and facilities for Naval Station Great Lakes. It also performed foundation landfill and reclamation that helped create or support sites later occupied by the Adler Planetarium, Soldier Field, Meigs Field, and the Field Museum. During World War II, the company constructed the MacArthur Lock. After the war, it became active in oil-related dredging in the Gulf of Mexico. The corporate structure changed substantially in the late twentieth century. Great Lakes International Inc. was established as a holding company in 1979. Between 1985 and 1998, the holding structure was acquired by several owners, including ITEL Corporation, Blackstone Dredging Partners, and Vectura Holding Company. Madison Dearborn Partners acquired the business in 2003 for $340 million. The company entered the public market in 2006 through the merger of Aldabra Acquisition Corp., a Madison Dearborn-backed special-purpose acquisition company, with the dredging business. The combined company retained the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock name. Madison Dearborn completed its exit in 2009. International expansion accelerated after the company established a foreign division in 1990. Middle Eastern projects became significant by 1993, and later work extended to Europe, Africa, Mexico, and South America. Projects included excavation and reclamation associated with the Øresund crossing, dredging at Iraq's Umm Qasr Port, and port construction at Hidd in Bahrain. The modern company combines commercial dredging with coastal and environmental construction. In 2010 it built offshore sand berms in Louisiana in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In 2014 it received a $185 million contract to build dunes and berms along a substantial section of the New Jersey shore affected by Hurricane Sandy. The company moved its headquarters to Houston in October 2020. Several legal matters have shaped the company's public history. In 1992, piling work for the Kinzie Street Bridge in Chicago damaged an abandoned service tunnel beneath the river, contributing to the Chicago Flood. The dispute reached the Supreme Court in Jerome B. Grubart, Inc. v. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. The Court held in 1995 that the work involved a vessel on navigable waters and therefore fell under admiralty jurisdiction, limiting the company's potential liability. In 2008, the dredge New York was struck by the tanker Orange Sun in Newark Bay; a later National Transportation Safety Board report assigned responsibility to the tanker. In 2016, a marsh excavator working on the Bay Long restoration site crossed a pipeline and released approximately 5,300 gallons of crude oil, affecting marsh habitat and birds. The company later pleaded guilty to a Clean Water Act offense and was sentenced in 2022 to pay a $1 million fine. In 2023, the EPA announced a separate settlement concerning alleged disposal of Portsmouth Harbor dredged material outside its permitted Gulf of Maine site. Great Lakes agreed to a $92,500 penalty and mitigation work intended to reduce the risk of future misdumps.
- 2020
Headquarters moved to Houston
[1]The corporate headquarters relocated from Oak Brook, Illinois, to Houston, Texas.
- 2014
New Jersey coastal-protection contract
[1]Great Lakes was hired to construct dunes and berms along 22 miles of the Jersey Shore damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
- 2010
Louisiana oil-spill response work
[1]The company helped construct sand berms off Louisiana to limit oil movement after the Deepwater Horizon spill.
- 2006
Public-market transaction
[1]Aldabra Acquisition Corp. merged with the company, which became publicly traded and adopted the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock name.
- 2003
Madison Dearborn acquisition
[1]Madison Dearborn Partners acquired the business for $340 million.
- 1990
Foreign division created
[1]The company renewed its international expansion by creating a foreign division.
- 1979
Great Lakes International becomes holding company
[1]Great Lakes International Inc. was established as a holding company for the dredging business.
- 1905
Company adopts the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock name
[1]The regional dredging partnership was renamed Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company.
- 1890
Lydon & Drews founded
[1]William A. Lydon and Fred C. Drews formed the partnership that became Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company.
Products and positioning
A large-scale U.S. dredging and marine construction specialist serving government, port, coastal-resilience, energy, and infrastructure projects.
Dredging services
Dredging and channel maintenance
The company deepens and maintains waterways, navigation channels, and ports. This work supports commercial shipping, naval facilities, energy infrastructure, and public navigation projects.
Marine construction
Land reclamation and harbor construction
Great Lakes excavates new harbors and places or removes marine materials to create usable land, improve low-lying areas, and construct port-related infrastructure.
Coastal resilience
Coastal protection and beach nourishment
Its coastal work includes beach nourishment, dunes, offshore berms, and related shoreline protection intended to reduce erosion and storm impacts.
Environmental and infrastructure services
Environmental restoration and trenching
The company restores wetlands and aquatic habitats and excavates trenches for pipelines, cables, and tunnels, combining dredging equipment with marine construction capabilities.
Controversies
2022
Gulf of Maine dredged-material misdump
The EPA alleged that material dredged for the Portsmouth Harbor Federal Navigation Project was disposed of outside the authorized site near the Isles of Shoals. A 2023 settlement required a $92,500 penalty and mitigation projects estimated at more than $100,000.
2016
Bay Long oil spill
A company-operated marsh excavator crossed a pipeline during restoration work in Bay Long, Louisiana, releasing approximately 5,300 gallons of crude oil and oiling about 200 birds. Great Lakes pleaded guilty to a Clean Water Act violation and was ordered in 2022 to pay a $1 million fine.
1992
Chicago Flood tunnel breach
Piling work associated with the Kinzie Street Bridge damaged an unused service tunnel beneath the Chicago River, contributing to the flooding of downtown building basements. Litigation initially treated the company as liable, but later proceedings considered the city's prior knowledge and tunnel maintenance. The U.S. Supreme Court's 1995 decision applied admiralty law and limited the company's liability.
Marketing campaigns
- 2014Jersey Shore dunes and berms
United States
The company was hired to build dunes and berms along 22 miles of New Jersey shoreline damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The project was funded through federal supplemental disaster appropriations.
Outcome. The contract expanded the company's role in federally funded coastal resilience and storm-protection construction.
- 2010Louisiana sand berm construction
United States
Working through the Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure Group, Great Lakes helped build sand berms off the Louisiana coast to limit approaching oil associated with the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Outcome. The project formed part of the emergency coastal-response effort after the spill.
Brand decisions
2006
Merge with Aldabra Acquisition Corp.M&ABackground
Madison Dearborn used Aldabra Acquisition Corp. as a special-purpose acquisition vehicle for the company's public-market transaction.
Action taken
Aldabra merged with Great Lakes Dredge and Dock, changed its name to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock, and placed the business on NASDAQ.
Aftermath
The transaction converted the company into a publicly traded dredging contractor.
1990
Renew international expansionStrategyBackground
After operating primarily in the United States, the company sought additional work outside the domestic market.
Action taken
It created a foreign division and subsequently pursued projects in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Mexico, and South America.
Aftermath
International work became a recurring part of the business, although the United States remained its primary market.
Recent events
Reported
Great Lakes partners with Texas A&M on dredging laboratory[3]
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock signed an agreement with Texas A&M University's College of Engineering to provide funding and technical support for a laboratory focused on dredging and coastal studies.
Reported
GLDD and Texas A&M agree to support a dredging and coastal studies lab[4]
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced an agreement with Texas A&M University’s College of Engineering to fund and provide technical support for a forthcoming laboratory named after GLDD.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock and Project Vesta announce partnership[5]
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation and Project Vesta announced a partnership to pursue joint research goals and develop methods for the safe, effective use of coastal carbon capture.
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock appoints Scott Kornblau CFO[6]
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock appointed Scott Kornblau as senior vice president and chief financial officer, effective immediately. He succeeds Mark Marinko.
Sources7 sources
- 1Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Companyen.wikipedia.org
- 2EPA announces settlement with Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company over misdump in Gulf of Maineepa.gov
- 3Great Lakes与Texas A&M合作设立疏浚实验室marinetechnologynews.com
- 4GLDD与德州农工大学达成支持疏浚与海岸研究实验室的协议waterwaysjournal.net
- 5Great Lakes Dredge & Dock 与 Project Vesta 宣布合作waterwaysjournal.net
- 6Great Lakes Dredge & Dock 任命 Scott Kornblau 为首席财务官dredgingtoday.com
- 7Great Lakes Dredge & Dock appoints Kornblau senior VP and CFOworkboat.com
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