Port of L.A. resumes dredging projects

Port of L.A. resumes dredging projects       The Port of Los Angeles said Friday it has begun the final phase of its 13-year, $370 million Main Channel Deepening Project (MCDP).
      After a five-year break in the project to identify and environmentally assess additional disposal sites for soil dredged from the port's main waterways, on Thursday, a barge containing roughly 4,000 tons of boulders and fill material began to discharge its payload at a designated outer harbor location.
      'Completing the final phase of the Main Channel Deepening Project over the next three years is critical to future trade growth and job creation at the Port of Los Angeles, especially in light of the completion of the Panama Canal expansion in 2014,' the port said in a statement. 'The widening of the Panama Canal will enable it to accommodate the larger ships that routinely call at L.A. and other major west coast ports, providing an all-water route to Gulf and East Coast destinations.'

Knatz

      The dredging project is designed to provide deeper water access to several terminals in the port, including the TraPac, China Shipping, Yusen-NYK, Evergreen and Yang Ming container terminals, as well as the presently vacant terminal at berths 206-209.
      'The Main Channel Deepening Project is a lifeline to maintaining our competitive edge during the critical years ahead as we face increased competition on a number of fronts,' said Geraldine Knatz, port executive director. 'We presently have $350 million in terminal expansion projects underway at our China Shipping and TraPac container facilities. Resumption of the Main Channel Deepening Project is key to delivering those projects on schedule — a commitment we have made to those terminal operators.'