Page 33: of Marine News Magazine (February 2016)

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FUNDING INFRASTRUCTURE “We have lots of dredging needs to go around in

Louisiana. The Calcasieu River port of Lake Charles, the Atchafalaya River port of Morgan City, Port

Fourchon serving offshore energy, and Terrebonne port in Houma all require dredging.” – Matt Gresham, Port of New Orleans spokesman

Funding and Dredging: unequal partners year, and is usually done in the spring and fall, with a lull

The New Orleans District of the Army Corps awarded in the summer. Sometimes, even that is not enough.

17 cutterhead and hopper dredging jobs to U.S. companies In 2015, New Jersey-based Weeks Marine, Inc., with from 2005 through 2015. The reality of the situation, how- an of? ce in Covington, La., completed a Southwest Pass ever is that whether or not the Corps has enough federal Maintenance Dredging Project for the Army Corps, esti- funding in a given year to dredge the lower Mississippi ad- mator Thomas Simnick at Weeks said. Weeks works un- equately depends on the river’s conditions, Matt Roe, Army der the supervision of the Corps’ New Orleans District to

Corps spokesman in New Orleans, said. “Some years, fund- maintain the river’s required, navigable depth.

ing may not be enough to provide full project dimensions in “The river deposits sediment in a manner that creates the deep-draft navigation channel,” he said, adding, “It de- hazards for vessels, and if left unattended these hazards can pends on how much sediment the river carries downstream.” result in restricted shipping lanes, closures for deep-draft

It should go without saying that dredging is critical to vessels and grounding of vessels,” Simnick said. “To reduce moving 500 million tons of cargo annually on the lower these risks, the Corps issues yearly navigation contracts to

Mississippi River. That requirement, however, isn’t always maintain river depths in projects that are essential to the apparent to politicians in Washington. “All imported or lower Mississippi’s infrastructure.” exported cargo on the lower river transits the main ship- ping channel at Southwest Pass, which I often call the na- Dredging Keeps U.S. Exports Competitive tion’s revolving door to international trade,” insists Duffy, A big slice of the nation’s economic activity depends on who added quickly, “Channel maintenance must be done keeping the Southwest Pass and the crossings above New annually in the area of Southwest Pass, and while the fre- Orleans dredged, Duffy said. “American farmers remain quency of dredging depends on many factors, the main competitive in world markets because of cost savings pro- concern being high water bringing down large amounts vided by the Mississippi River and tributaries system,” he of sediment.” According to Duffy, and as a general rule, said. About 70 percent of U.S. agricultural exports are

Southwest Pass must be dredged when the Carrollton shipped via the Mississippi. “Farmers in other exporting

Gauge in New Orleans reaches 10 feet and is rising. But countries, including Brazil and Argentina, can grow the dredging is often required for six to eight months each same, quality grain products cheaper than U.S. producers

Photo: Tracie Morris Schaefer,

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