USDA Grain Transportation Report (8/11): Corps of Engineers Awards Contract to Dredge Nine Memphis District Harbors

The Memphis District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recently awarded a contract of over $7.3 million to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock for maintenance dredging of nine harbors.

The harbors to be dredged, between July 1 and December 31, are Memphis Harbor/McKellar Lake, Wolf River Harbor, Elvis Stahr Harbor, Helena Harbor Phillips County, Northwest Tennessee Regional Harbor, Caruthersville Harbor, Helena Harbor, New Madrid County Harbor, and Osceola Harbor.

Between 2016 and 2020, grain shipments originating on or moving through these harbors ranged between 4.8 million and 5.0 million tons.

Dredging keeps the river channel at depth and allows the barge industry to keep barges loaded as fully as possible.

Each additional foot of river depth increases a barge’s load capacity by roughly 200 tons, translating to lower transportation costs and ultimately more competitive grain exports.

This article comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Aug. 11, 2022, Grain Transportation Report.