The largest American hopper dredge, Glenn Edwards, is working at the Port of Charleston shipping channel this week maintaining the channel depth at its currently approved 45 feet.
Glenn Edwards, operated by the Manson Construction Co. of Seattle, is removing silt from the channel and depositing it at an offshore disposal site.
Contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, she has removed 600,000 cubic yards of silt ever since her deployment off Charleston late last month.
By the end of the week, the vessel will be operating off Savannah, performing similar work in the channel leading to the Savannah River and the Georgia ports.
The vessel features pipes that act like a giant vacuum cleaner to suck material off the channel floor. It is designed to load 13,500 cubic yards of silt. Upon loading the material, the vessel travels several miles to an offshore disposal site where the material is dropped by opening doors in its hull that are 14 feet by 21 feet.
[mappress]
Dredging Today Staff, March 13, 2012;