The Deep Foundations Institute announced that two Bauer Group companies will be given the 2013 Ben C. Gerwick Award for Innovation in the Design and Construction of Marine Foundations. The award will be presented Aug. 1 in Seattle at the group’s Marine Foundations Seminar.

Bauer Maschinen GmbH and Bauer Spezialtiefbau GmbH are recognized for the design, development and deployment of the Bauer Seabed Drill (BSD) 3000. The rig is lowered to the ocean floor and operated from a support vessel, rather than a jack-up or large semi-submersible derrick. The DFI says the Seabed Drill cuts installation costs for large-diameter socket piles while allowing for installations in adverse conditions, such as high currents.

The award is named for Ben C. Gerwick, who worked in the field of marine foundations for 62 years. The DFI’s Education Trust, the University of California Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Ben C. Gerwick Company sponsor the award.

The DFI presents the honor during a fundraiser at the annual seminar, which this year features presentations by more than a dozen owners, contractors and engineers involved in challenging marine foundation projects. The event is a benefit for the DFI Educational Trust Sustaining Membership Fund. The Education Trust is a 501(c)(3) that offers scholarships and other opportunities for students interested in and pursuing careers in the deep foundations industry. For details, visit www.dfitrust.org.

The DFI is an international association of contractors, engineers, academics and suppliers in the deep foundations industry with more than 3,300 members worldwide. For more information about the Deep Foundations Institute, visit www.dfi.org.

 Bauer Maschinen designs and manufactures drilling rigs, diaphragm wall equipment and related tools, and operates as an independent entity within the Bauer Group. Bauer Spezialtiefbau is Bauer Group’s construction arm. It specializes in bored pilings, diaphragm walls, soil mixing and nailing, and other types of foundations work and ground improvements. For more information on Bauer companies, visit (www.bauer.com)[www.bauer.de/en].