Oulook on Louisiana dredging

When maritime stakeholders think about dredging, they initially conjure up visions of harbor deepening to accommodate giant, post-Panamax container ships. Inland players hope for maintenance dredging to keep the nation’s 31,000 cargo barges afloat. But, there is much more to it. In Louisiana, dredging keeps Louisiana's waterways open for navigation, and provides material for coastal restoration and helps industrial plants with drainage. The biggest projects come from the Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans and the state's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. The state's five newest and largest restoration projects will span several decades and may cost upward of $1 billion each. In this case, they are badly needed as the shoreline shrinks – over 50 years, Louisiana has lost about 34 square miles of marsh and land annually into the Gulf of Mexico. The state’s dredging industry welcomes, along with some reservation, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN), which was approved by Congress last December, along with an Army Corps of Engineers plan to deepen waterways. Sean Duffy of the Big River Coalition in Metairie, La., said WIIN's navigation and construction provisions will increase opportunities for the dredging industry. A plan by the Army Corps would deepen portions of the Mississippi River navigation channel, including stretches between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, to 50 feet. More dredging would allow the ports of New Orleans, Plaquemines and South Louisiana to handle large post-Panamax vessels traveling through the newly-expanded canal. (Source: Marine Link 03/09/17)