The Dredge Ellis Island, which is the largest hopper dredger in the U.S., is currently removing limestone from the entrance channel of the Charleston Harbor, as part of the Post 45 Deepening project.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District, has just released this amazing photo of a skimmer on the dredger, removing water from the sediment and leaving behind large pieces of limestone, which will be placed to grow another mitigation reef.
The Charleston Harbor Post 45 Deepening Project looks to address transportation inefficiencies by deepening and widening Charleston Harbor to allow for growth in the shipping industry with the influx of Post-Panamax ships calling on port in the Lowcountry.
The Charleston District has been working with the project’s non-federal sponsor, the South Carolina Ports Authority, since 2010 to complete studies and move the project toward a 52 foot deep federal channel.
This project is one of the first seven that Obama’s Administration expedited under its “We Can’t Wait” initiative for critical infrastructure projects.