Cargo Business Newswire

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

$134M Port of Savannah dredging project awarded

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $134.5 million contract to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company for harbor expansion at the Port of Savannah in Georgia, according to a company statement.

The first phase of the contract involves dredging the river channel to 47 feet to facilitate the entry of supersized container ships into the Georgia port after the Panama Canal widening project is complete in 2016, the statement said.

Under the deal, dredging of the outer harbors will be done by the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, which will start along the Savannah River off Tybee Island and extend 18 miles up to the Atlantic Ocean. Great Lakes plans to use cutter suction and hopper dredges for the channel deepening, which will start later this year and be completed by Summer 2018.

The shallow depths of many East Coast seaports, including Savannah, keep large container vessels from carrying full loads during low tides.