The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, has just released a video about their TSHDs Essayons and Yaquina, named ‘Drydock: Repairing the Massive Ships that Dredge the Columbia River’.
These Portland District’s hopper dredgers work to ensure a safe ‘highway’ for container ships and other vessels.
The Essayons, operated by a merchant marine crew, helps maintain the entrance bars, rivers and harbors on the coasts of California, Oregon, Hawaii, Alaska and, in emergencies, the Mississippi River. Because of its size and dredging depth, the Essayons is well-suited for dredging work in larger coastal entrances.
The Yaquina helps to maintain the entrance bars, rivers and harbors on the coasts of Oregon, California and Washington.
This hopper dredger is well-suited for dredging operations in small, shallow coastal entrances, USACE said.
In the video, Chris Gibbons, port engineer for dredger Essayons, explains what dredging is, why it is important to maintain the waterways and how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ dredgers are taken into drydock to keep the Columbia River clear for more than $20 billion worth of commerce every year.