The Ocean City beach replenishment project grinds to a halt and will be delayed for at least six weeks, according to Richard Pearsall, a spokesman with Army Corps Philadelphia District.
The Liberty Island, a hopper dredger owned by Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, is undergoing engine replacement in Norfolk, Va. after it broke down on Saturday, May 30.
Before the dredger was towed from the area, it had been replenishing the beach at 51st Street and work between 37th and 47th streets had been completed.
This is the second time work has stopped on the Ocean City project since it started. The first stoppage lasted a week from April 29 to May 6 as crews sought to find and repair a leak in the submerged pipeline leading from the dredger to the beach.
Ocean City business administrator Jim Mallon said that the administration is optimistic that once the dredger is repaired, operations will resume at the pace they were going prior to the engine failure.