Charleston dredging wins US Army Corps of Engineers funds

THE Port of Charleston in South Carolina has been allocated funding from the US Army Corps of Engineers' work plan for the next phase of the US$300 million Charleston harbour 45 foot (13.5 metres) dredging project.


The corps predicts the work will bring $100 million in annual national benefits, a statement from the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) said, adding it will now sign a feasibility cost sharing agreement in the coming days, which it expects will move the project into the next phase.


Said SCPA chairman Bill Stern: "With bigger ships and expanding exports, the United States needs a true 50-foot [15.2 metres] harbour in the southeast."


The authority said the US Congress has already authorised Charleston's deepening through the study phases. "Our attention now turns to launching the study and securing funds in the FY2012 budget for the corps to continue with their share of the work," said SCPA chief executive Jim Newsome.


The feasibility study is anticipated to take three to five years and total $12-20 million with the expenses to be shared 50/50 by the US federal government and a local sponsor. The total project is estimated at $300 million.


"The next Charleston deepening will open the port to all classes of the world's most modern vessels under any tidal condition. Current channel depths at low tide are 47 feet in the entrance channel and 45 feet in the inner harbour," it said.


The authorities noted in the statement that 80 per cent of the ship capacity on order is for vessels too big to pass through the Panama Canal. Its expansion is expected to be finished in 2014.
(Source:http://www.schednet.com)