Editorial: Dredge industry standing up

On April 30, 1798, President John Adams signed a congressional act establishing the Navy. On the Navy’s 221st anniversary of being established, the U.S-flag Jones Act and the dredging industry stands with the Navy as proud stewards of our nation’s strategic ports and remains committed to maintaining their channels and points of access at all times. Strategic U.S. ports are designated by the Defense Department (DoD) to support major force deployments. The Strategic Seaport Program (SSP) is designed to ensure America has seaport capacity necessary to effectively handle any contingency affecting national security. Maintaining SSP's reserve capacity requires coordination from nine federal agencies, including the U.S. Maritime Administration, Coast Guard, U.S. Northern Command, and the Army Corps of Engineers that makes up the National Port Readiness Network (NPRN). In the past year, the Jones Act dredging companies have maintained, deepened or widened strategic seaports around the nation. Among the dredging companies involved include Weeks Marine with which offices and facilities in south Louisiana. The American dredging industry is amidst a $1.5B dredging fleet expansion, including investments in four large cutter suction dredges, two large hopper dredges and about 50 barges built in U.S. shipyards, including Eastern Shipbuilding of Panama City, Fla., Conrad Shipyard and Halimar Shipyard, both of Morgan City, La. Texas-based Callan Marine is constructing a 32-inch hydraulic cutter suction dredge at C&C Marine Shipyard in Belle Chasse, La. Separately, Weeks Marine is building a 30-inch cutter suction dredge at C&C Marine. The U.S.-flag dredging industry sustains about 650,000 jobs and generates more than $150B in annual economic output. (Source: Maritime Executive editorial by William P. Doyle, Dredging Contractors of America 04/29/19)