Dredging starts at Puerto Rico’s biggest and most important seaport 

The USACE Task Force Virgin Islands Puerto Rico (TF-VIPR) Commander, Col. Charles Decker, USACE TF-VIPR Deputy for Programs & Project Management, Jacqueline Keiser, and members from TF-VIPR attend the First Bucket Ceremony for the San Juan Harbor Dredging and Deepening Project yesterday.

Under the program, California-based Curtin Maritime will remove nearly 3 million cubic yards (76 million cubic feet) of marine floor to open the San Juan Bay to larger vessels.

Puerto Rico Governor, Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico Ports Authority Executive Director, Joel Pizá, and USACE Savannah District Civil Works Chief, Jeff Schwindaman, also attended the ceremony.

The San Juan Harbor Dredging and Deepening Project is set to allow larger vessels to navigate into harbor which will also bring the port of San Juan to meet the demands of the growing global and local economy, said USACE.

The First Bucket Ceremony marked the beginning of the dredging and deepening phase of this project, which is expected to last until October 2024.