Page 36: of Marine News Magazine (February 2016)

35 37

FUNDING INFRASTRUCTURE

Last March, Weeks Marine began work on a Last March, Weeks Marine began work on a

Louisiana coastal restoration project with its Louisiana coastal restoration project with its hydraulic cutter-suction dredge E.W. Ellefsen.hydraulic cutter-suction dredge E.W. Ellefsen.

Photo: Weeks Marine about navigation and channel depths. And, dredge spoils based U.S. dredging market, Bill Hanson, vice president at are no longer a dirty word in some cases. For example, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock in Illinois, said. “The Corps coastal restoration work along the Gulf Coast is a dredge manages the Mississippi River channel very effectively market that involves agencies beyond the Army Corps, with a series of contract bids that they let out whenever

Hanson noted. “In Louisiana, our largest restoration client the need arises,” he said. “But the Corps is challenged by is the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Author- inconsistent federal funding and a very inconsistent river, ity, which has undertaken some of the most challenging routinely in? uenced by drought and ? oods.” dredging projects in the world, funded mostly by BP’s pay- “While GLDD has a long history of working in the riv- ments for the 2010 Gulf spill. GLDD has performed sev- er and has won many contracts from the Corps, we don’t eral of these projects and has several more under contract have a Corps contract now to do river maintenance,” Han- at this time.” son said. “Several of our competitors are currently work-

According to CPRA, it is the ? rst authority worldwide ing there. All of the competition, along with the nation’s to move sand to build barrier islands. And every foot of dredging equipment capacity, serves the Corps as it works land that’s been built has been done with dredged mate- on the river and the national dredging program.” rial. In a $200 million effort to reconstruct the Caminada If the Army Corps were to receive predictable, annual

Headlands from Port Fourchon bay towards Grande Isle,

Corps Funding at a Glance …

Louisiana, beaches and dunes are being rebuilt on 800 acres, using sand from the Gulf. Last March, Weeks Ma-

FY ‘16 funding for the Corps’ Civil Works mission: $5.99 billion, rine began work on that project’s second phase with its

Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF)-supported projects funding: hydraulic cutter-suction dredge E.W. Ellefsen. Weeks is $405.2 million scheduled to complete that phase by mid-2016.

Operations & Maintenance (O&M) increased to $3.137 billion

Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF): $1.25 billion

Dredging Companies Vie for Corps Contracts

General Investigations account: $121 million was allocated

Dredging companies compete for projects in the broad-

February 2016 36

MN

MN Feb16 Layout 32-49.indd 36 1/21/2016 11:37:12 AM