Hydraulic dredgers remove suspended materials like sand or silt and pump it to the surface via outlet pipes. Hydraulic dredgers include hopper dredgers and cutter suction dredgers. The grab or bucket loosens the bed sediment and then raises it for disposal. Mechanical dredgers come in several varieties including dipper, backhoe, and clamshell. There are two different types of machines used for dredging. There are several steps to any dredging process: extraction, transportation, and disposal. Environmental dredging is also conducted in order to remove sediment contaminated by pollutants. In order to maintain waterways for safe passage of boats and ships, it is often necessary to dredge channels and harbors. The activity known as dredging involves the removal of dirt, sediment, and other debris from the bottom of a body of water. According to a recent report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), maritime transport remains the backbone of globalized trade and the manufacturing supply chain, as more than four-fifths of world merchandise trade by volume is carried by sea.Ĭommercial businesses both large and small know that we harm the U.S. seaports and that over 3 million jobs were directly dependent on the resources of the oceans and the Great Lakes. maritime transportation system carried $1.6 trillion of cargo through U.S. Department of Commerce found that in 2017 the U.S. ports and harbors until the barricades created by shallow water and narrow channels are eliminated through dredging. Ultra large container ships and large capesize bulkers plying these routes are locked out of U.S. Consider, too, the recent report finding that in 2018 the Port of Virginia delivered over $39 billion in gross state product and 397,000 jobs to the Commonwealth of Virginia.ĭredging is equally vital to the national economy because the ocean, which covers 70% of the earth in seawater, is the trading route for our planet. To anyone who thinks this is no big deal - the shelves at the store or at your favorite online retailer would be empty if shallow water or a narrow channel blocked ultra large container ships that require draft up to 55’ from making the final 15 nautical mile leg into the Port of Virginia at the end of the 13,843 nautical mile journey along the Atlantic Route from Shanghai, China to Norfolk, Virginia. Waterfront commercial companies cannot get their or their customers’ vessels to the dock unless they can dredge.

Dredging is vital to commercial marine terminals and, by extension, to the economy of Hampton Roads, the economy of Virginia, and the economy of the nation

Pond dredging cost