Maintenance dredging continues at battling ports

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Even as ports like Charleston and Savannah are vying to get more federal money to deepen their harbors, the work of dredging to keep those harbors at their current depths continues little noticed.

The largest American hopper dredge is off Charleston this week, removing silt from the shipping channel and depositing at an offshore disposal site. The work by the Glenn Edwards is designed to maintain the shipping channel depth at its current 45 feet.

Then later this week, the dredge sails south to Savannah where it will do maintenance dredging for the shipping channel leading to the Savannah River.

The Glenn Edwards, which can load 13,500 cubic yards of silt and dump it by opening hopper doors in its hull, has been operating off Charleston since last month.