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Usace News

13 Dec 2023

Tacoma, Seattle Ports Ink Deals for Navigation Improvement Projects

(Photo; The Northwest Seaport Alliance)

Pacific Northwest seaports Seattle and Tacoma have signed design agreements with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for a pair of waterway navigation improvement projects.The Seattle Navigation Improvement Project, authorized by Congress in 2018, and the Tacoma Harbor Navigation Improvement Project, authorized in 2022, are part of a comprehensive modernization initiative for The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) gateway that began nearly a decade ago.Containerships navigating in the trans-Pacific trade are increasing in size…

12 Oct 2023

Inland Waterways: US Making Progress on Infrastructure

(Photo: Michel Sauret / USACE)

The United States’ vast network of navigable inland rivers is vital to the nation’s economy, serving as an aquatic superhighway for the efficient shipment of critical commodities like agricultural goods, energy products, building materials and industrial chemicals to destinations within the U.S. and to deepwater ports for export. The Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI), which advocates for a modern, efficient and well-maintained inland waterways, often describes the network as “the…

25 Sep 2023

USACE Working to Prevent Saltwater from Rising Up the Mississippi

Col. Cullen Jones, USACE New Orleans District commander, briefs media Sept. 15, 2023, on current steps the Corps plans to take to augment the existing underwater sill constructed by USACE in the Mississippi River to help slow progression of the saltwater wedge moving upriver from the Gulf of Mexico. (Photo: Ryan Labadens / U.S. Army)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District is working to delay upriver progression of salt water from the Gulf of Mexico by augmenting the sill initially constructed in July 2023.Construction is underway to increase the existing underwater sill from a depth of -55 feet to a depth of -30 feet. A 620-foot-wide navigation lane will be kept to a depth of -55 feet to ensure deep-draft shipping continues along the nation’s busiest inland waterway.USACE initially constructed…

15 Sep 2023

Great Lakes Awarded USACE Dredging Work in Georgia

© Yaniv / Adobe Stock

Houston-based dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to perform maintenance dredging in Saint Marys, Ga.Great Lakes was one of two bidders for the project, securing the $18,645,500 firm-fixed-price contract from USACE's Jacksonville District.Work is estimated to be completed by June 28, 2024.

14 Sep 2023

USACE Awards Contract for Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3 Removal

(Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District awards a nearly $30 million contract to remove the Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3 in Elizabeth, Pa.The district awarded the dam removal contract to the Pittsburgh-based Joseph B. Fay Company.The work is part of the Lower Monongahela River project, which includes the construction of the larger lock chamber at Locks and Dam 4 at river mile 41.5 near Charleroi and the replacement of the fixed-crest dam with a gated dam at Locks and Dam 2 in Braddock…

29 Aug 2023

Eastern Gets Green Light to Build USACE Hopper Dredge

(Image: Eastern Shipbuilding Group)

Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group announced on Tuesday it has received a notice to proceed after winning a contract to design and build a new hopper dredge for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).The 6,000-cubic-yard-capacity diesel-electric dredge will be constructed at Eastern’s Allanton and Port St. Joe facilities and is scheduled for delivery in 2027, the builder said.The new medium-class hopper dredge (MCHD) will be based at the Corps’ Philadelphia District, replacing the 57-year-old McFarland…

23 Aug 2023

Dutra Wins $9.6 Million Contract for Dredging in Brooklyn

(File photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

The Dutra Group, based in San Rafael, Calif., has been awarded a contract to perform maintenance dredging in Brooklyn, N.Y.The $9,639,000 firm-fixed-price contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District.

18 Aug 2023

USACE Begins Dredging Near Brownsville, Minn.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, began dredging the Mississippi River navigation channel near Brownsville, Minnesota, in Pool 8 this week to ensure the channel remains open for commercial navigation. Dredging is expected to continue in this area through Labor Day. (Photo: USACE)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, began dredging the Mississippi River navigation channel near Brownsville, Minn., in Pool 8 this week to ensure the channel remains open for commercial navigation.Dredging is expected to continue in this area through Labor Day.The Above Brownsville Placement Site, known locally as Crater Island, will be closed during this time when needed for dredging operations.The St. Paul District maintains a 9-foot navigation channel and 13 locks and dams from Minneapolis to Guttenberg, Iowa on the Upper Mississippi River.

25 Jul 2023

Eastern Shipbuilding to Build New Hopper Dredge for the USACE

McFarland is one of four oceangoing hopper dredges owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (Photo: Dave Evinger / USACE)

Panama City, Fla. based Eastern Shipbuilding Group has been awarded a contract to design and build a new hopper dredge for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.The $256,955,264 firm-fixed-price contract will see Eastern design and build the new medium-class hopper dredge (MCHD) for scheduled delivery in August 2027. Eastern was one of three bidders for the project.The new 6,000-cubic-yard-capacity hopper dredge will replace the USACE Philadelphia District's high-powered deep draft hopper dredge McFarland, built in 1967.

18 Jul 2023

USACE Awarded a Slew of Dredging Work in the First Half of 2023

(Photo: Dredging Contractors of America)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is snapping back from the doldrums of COVID-19, wrapping up a strong first half of 2023 with a slew of awarded dredging work.“The federal government is no different from state and local governments, nor the private sector when it comes to COVID-19 work related recovery and USACE is not an exception,” said William P. Doyle, CEO of the Dredging Contractors of America. “The Army Corps has been steadily issuing contract awards since February, and that’s on the award side.

22 Jun 2023

Corps Launches Lower Miss 'Mega-study'

© Aneese / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is kicking off a five-year, $25 million "mega-study" with the goal to help guide effective and practical management of the Lower Mississippi River.The Corps said the the study will help it to identify recommendations for the comprehensive management of the region across multiple purposes, including hurricane and storm damage reduction, flood risk management, structure and nonstructural flood control, floodplain management strategies, navigation…

19 Jun 2023

Dredging: Keeping the Mississippi Open

(Photo: USACE)

“Not only does the top of the river move, but the bottom of the river also moves.” - James Bodron, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division, Regional Business Director.Dredging was the Herculean act that allowed much of the U.S. economy to keep chugging along as usual, at least for Midwest and Central states, as drought conditions threatened to shut down river traffic on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, during fall and winter 2022 and early 2023.The full scope of these U.S.

12 Jun 2023

USACE Awards More than $100 Million in Dredging Work

(File photo: Curtin Maritime)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on Friday awarded three contracts totaling more than $100 million for dredging projects in Puerto Rico, Oregon and Pennsylvania.USACE Jacksonville awarded Long Beach, Calif. based Curtin Maritime Corp. a $54,204,676 firm-fixed-price contract for San Juan Harbor construction and maintenance dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with seven received. Work will be performed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2024. USACE Portland, Ore. awarded Seattle based Manson Construction Co.

19 May 2023

New Manned Barge Designed for Rocket Transport

(Image: Bristol Harbor Group, Inc.)

A new barge has been designed to transport rockets for spacecraft launch service provider United Launch Alliance (ULA).Naval architecture firm Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) said it was recently selected by ULA to design a river and oceangoing manned roll-on / roll-off barge for the transportation of its Vulcan Centaur rockets. The barge will be supported by an operations and cargo monitoring crew.In support of ULA’s competitive solicitation for ship fabrication this summer…

09 May 2023

USACE Mobile District Adds New Survey Vessel

(Photo: Jeremy Murray / USACE)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority held a ceremony to officially welcome a new survey vessel to its fleet in Columbus, Miss., April 28, 2023.The Miss Agnes, built by Theodore, Ala. based Silver Ships, is a custom 26-foot multibeam and single beam capable marine survey vessel that features an enclosed center console, a three-monitor survey station, and an air conditioner unit that is paired with a generator.

05 Apr 2023

Silver Ships Delivers Workboat to USACE Pittsburgh District

(Photo: Silver Ships)

Theodore, Ala. aluminum boatbuilder Silver Ships recently delivered an Explorer 40 workboat to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Pittsburgh District for use on the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers.The second of three Explorer 40 series workboats ordered by USACE Pittsburgh District, the 40-foot workboat will support the Corps’ mission of improving navigable waterways and water infrastructure.The custom-built 40-foot vessel is powered by Twin 350HP Suzuki outboard motors that give the vessel enhanced maneuvering capabilities for working in tight spaces.

23 Mar 2023

Corps Dredges Log Record Seasons to Combat 2022 Drought Impact

The USACE Memphis District’s Hurley dredged a record 14.5 million cubic yards of material for the 2022 season as the Corps battles historic water levels. (Photo: USACE Memphis District)

Extreme weather events—including both high and low water levels—can wreak havoc on inland waterways transport. In late 2022, severe drought conditions brought the latter to the Mississippi River Basin, underlining the importance of America’s dredging fleet.When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Memphis District's dredge Hurley returned to its home port, Ensley Engineer Yard, in Memphis Harbor, on January 13, 2023, it wrapped its longest, most productive season on record.

23 Mar 2023

Lower Snake River Issues Cause Concern for Barge Transportation Industry

© PaulMassiePhoto / Adobe Stock

The inland waterways report in September 2022 edition of Marine News focused on issues facing the Lower Snake River Dams (LSRD) in the northwest, in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Walla Walla District.That report referenced issues and concerns confronting regional towboat and barge operators about possible changes to the Columbia Snake River System – perhaps even breaching the four Lower Snake River dams, a move with irreversible consequences.In August, a report by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee was completed and the report’s recommendations were published.

20 Mar 2023

Getting the Work Right: Coordinating Money, Time and Big Projects

© EJRodriquez / Adobe Stock

I. MoneyNo one ever said it’s easy to understand federal budgets and spending plans. Nevertheless, a general sense of clarity and straightforwardness is critical for any review of public expenditures. This becomes more pressing when tracking revenue and expenditures linked to specific users’ fees, such as the $0.29/gallon fuel tax, paid by inland waterways operators. In 2021, the Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF) held $221.5 million, money earmarked to build, maintain and operate…

25 Jan 2023

New Survey Vessel Delivered to USACE Portland Distric

The newest addition to the hydrographic survey vessel fleet owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Portland District takes its first ride after its official christening ceremony in Newport, Oregon, Jan. 11. (Photo: Chris Gaylord / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Portland District officially welcomed its newest hydrographic survey vessel, the Beeman, with a dedication and christening ceremony in Newport, Ore., on January 11.The Beeman, whose name honors the legacy of Ogden Beeman, chief of the Portland District’s Waterways Navigation Branch from 1960-1967, replaces and continues the work of the district’s aging vessel, the Patterson, which surveyed Oregon’s coastal entrances for 22 years.“This is a vessel with a critical mission…

23 Jan 2023

US Limits Vessel Calls at BP Cherry Point Marine Terminal

Aerial view of BP Cherry Point dock (Photo: NOAA)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will modify the Department of the Army permit for the BP Cherry Point Marine Terminal’s North Wing dock to ensure complies with the Magnuson Amendment’s restrictions regarding the handling of crude oil at Puget Sound facilities, and Endangered Species Act and other applicable legal requirements through additional permit conditions. This comes from the Record of Decision issued Monday, following completion of a Final Environmental Impact Statement…

27 Dec 2022

Port of Corpus Christi Gets $157.3 Million for Channel Improvement Project

© brent coulter / Adobe Stock

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, approved by Congress in December 2022, includes project closeout funding of $157.3 million for the Port of Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project (CIP) for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). This funding will advance the last phase of the CIP, a national critical infrastructure project that will render the Corpus Christi Ship Channel the most improved in the entire U.S. Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida. The Port of Corpus Christi is the nation’s largest U.S.

05 Dec 2022

Charleston has Deepest Harbor on US East Coast

(Image: SC Ports)

Charleston Harbor is now the deepest harbor on the East Coast at 52 feet.At 52 feet, the biggest ships calling the East Coast can access South Carolina Ports’ terminals any time, any tide. Ships filled with record imports and heavy exports can seamlessly sail through Charleston Harbor to SC Ports’ terminals.This depth makes SC Ports more competitive, helping to attract new ship services, first-in-calls and more cargo to South Carolina.Governor Henry McMaster and other state elected leaders…

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