Over the past week, USACE’s Baltimore District engaged Wilmington District’s dredge Murden to remove approximately 5,000 cubic yards of dredged material from the Ocean City Inlet, as a continuation of dredging that began earlier this year.
The northern portion of the West Ocean City Harbor was dredged in July using the sidecasting dredge Merritt.
During that round of dredging, nearly 8,000 cubic yards of dredged material was removed from three priority areas within the inlet channel.
According to USACE, the dredge Murden helps provide safe passage for mariners who use the federal channel at Oregon Inlet near Manteo to get to the Atlantic Ocean. The dynamics of Oregon Inlet mean constant removal of submerged obstacles called shoals.
When funding is available, the captain and crew of the Murden work non-stop to clear the channel.