The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District’s Mat Sinking Unit (MSU) will leave the harbor for its annual revetment season on September 9, 2015 at 10:00 A.M.
The District will host a Blessing of the Fleet ceremony on September 9, 2015 at the Vicksburg City Water Front as the MSU departs.
The MSU is the only one of its kind in the world and performs one of the most important jobs in the Corps’ river stabilization program. This unique one-of-a-kind crew places articulated concrete mats along the river banks of the Mississippi River to control erosion.
Its fleet consists of towboats, quarter boats, and a dredge, including the motor vessels BENYAURD, WILLIAM JAMES, and HARRISON, and other floating plants. The MSU is known as a floating city that houses and feeds its employees and has the capabilities to provide all of the electricity and potable water needed.
Inland waterway navigation is a crucial mission for the Corps. The MSU’s responsibilities are to maintain more than 800 miles of navigable channels and harbors to ensure safe, cost-effective, dependable, and environmentally sustainable transportation of vessels within the country’s inland waterways.