The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) continues active channel maintenance dredging operations on the Mississippi River Ship Channel (MRSC) in Southwest Pass. There are two cutterhead dredge operations ongoing below Pilottown and the USACE hopper dredge WHEELER will soon begin dredging in the area of Cubits Gap.
CUTTERHEAD DREDGE(S) WORKING IN THE HOPPER DREDGE DISPOSAL AREA (HDDA):
CAPTAIN FRANK: The USACE awarded Head of Passes Hopper Dredge Disposal Area Contract #2-2022 to Weeks Marine to remove sediment from the Hopper Dredge Disposal Area (HDDA). The cutterhead dredge CAPTAIN FRANK completed dredging of 6.0 million cubic yards of material under this contract on January 18, 2024. Weeks utilized the cutterhead dredge CAPTAIN FRANK to beneficially place the removed sediment in the West Bay Receiving Area. The submerged dredge pipeline was installed during channel closures in late September, dredging operations started on October 1 (2023). The removed sediment is estimated to have created approximately 500 acres of new acreage.
SCHEDULED FULL CHANNEL CLOSURE(S) Mile 2.0 AHP to the HEAD OF PASSES (Mile 0):
TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2024: The scheduled closure was implanted at 0700 hours and ceased at approximately 1400 hours today, the channel was reopened to vessel traffic by the U.S. Coast Guard with discretion to the respective pilot associations. A welded joint of the submerged pipeline broke this morning and after surveys and discussions with the government agencies and navigation stakeholders the channel was reopened. Weeks will move the cutterhead dredge CAPTAIN FRANK over to the west side of the river outside of the Ship Channel, the scheduled backup closure will be utilized to remove the remaining sections of the pipeline.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024: SCHEDULED BACKUP CHANNEL CLOSURE will be utilized to remove the remaining sections of the submerged dredge pipeline. The closure as detailed in the attached Marine Safety Information Bulletin (MSIB) from the U.S. Coast Guard details the parameters of the closure.
CUTTERHEAD DREDGE(S) WORKING IN SOUTHWEST PASS (SWP):
ALASKA: The cutterhead dredge ALASKA (Great Lakes Dredge & Dock) continues channel maintenance dredging under Southwest Pass Cutterhead Dredge Contract #1-2023 in Southwest Pass. The cutterhead dredge ALASKA continues work on assignment from Mile 5.0 Below Head of Passes (BHP) to Mile 8.5 BHP along the right descending bank. The dredge material is being placed behind new foreshore rocks to help fortify this area and close off a recuring crevasse that has formed several times in this area along the western side of Southwest Pass.
USACE HOPPER DREDGE(S) WORKING IN THE AREA of SOUTHWEST PASS (SWP):
WHEELER: The USACE hopper dredge WHEELER will begin working under Readiness Exercise #1-2024 later this evening. This will be the hopper dredge’s first assignment in 2024 working a reach in the vicinity of Cubits Gap from Mile 5.0 AHP to Mile 2.2 AHP. The WHEELER is scheduled to complete this Readiness Exercise on February 5, 2024.
USACE HOPPER DREDGE(S) WORKING IN THE AREA of SOUTHWEST PASS (SWP):
WHEELER: The USACE hopper dredge WHEELER will begin working under Readiness Exercise #1-2024 later this evening. This will be the hopper dredge’s first assignment in 2024 working a reach in the vicinity of Cubits Gap from Mile 5.0 AHP to Mile 2.2 AHP. The WHEELER is scheduled to complete this Readiness Exercise on February 5, 2024.
MAXIMUM DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS PER PILOT ASSOCIATION:
(UNCHANGED SINCE July 7, 2023)
The updated maximum draft recommendation for each Pilot Association as adjusted due to the Mississippi River Ship Channel Deepening and a temporary reduction to 49 feet by the Bar Pilots are detailed below:
Associated Branch Pilots of the Port of New Orleans (Bar Pilots): The Bar Pilots returned their maximum draft recommendation to 50 feet (freshwater) on July 6, 2023. The Bar Pilots originally increased their maximum draft recommendation to 50 feet (freshwater) on March 16, 2022, prior to the temporary reduction from May 22 to July 6 (2023).
Crescent River Port Pilots Association (CRPPA): The CPPRA raised their maximum draft recommendation to 50 feet (freshwater) in coordination with the Bar Pilots on July 7, 2023. The CRPPA originally increased their maximum draft to 50 feet (freshwater) on July 20.
New Orleans Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots Association (NOBRA): The NOBRA returned their maximum draft recommendation to 50 feet (freshwater) from Mile 175 AHP to Mile 88 AHP on July 7, 2023. The maximum draft recommendation from Mile 175 to 180 remains 47 feet and from Mile 180 to Mile 233.8 it remains 45 feet.
Associated Federal Pilots and Docking Masters of Louisiana (Federal Pilots): The Federal Pilots increased their maximum draft recommendations to the following to match the draft adjustment to 50 feet by the other Pilot Associations.
- 50 feet from Sea Buoy to Mile 175 AHP
- 45 feet Mile 175 AHP to 232.4 AHP
- 40 feet Mile 232.4 AHP to 233.8 AHP
The controlling maximum freshwater draft for the MRSC from Mile 175 AHP (Smoke Bend) to the Southwest Pass Sea Buoy is 50 feet (freshwater) as adjusted on July 7, 2023
Mississippi River Stages and Forecast Updates:
The Carrollton Gage (New Orleans) reading at 1500 hours today was 5.32 feet with a 24-hour change of + 0.45 feet. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service Extended Streamflow Prediction (28-Day) for the Carrollton Gage issued yesterday forecasts stages will continue rise to 6.7 feet on January 29 and will then begin a slow fall to just below 6.0 feet before another rise to 6.5 feet on February 11 and then fall again to 4.6 feet on February 20 (2024).
The Baton Rouge Gage reading at 1500 hours was 19.37 feet with a 24-hour change + 0.47 feet. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service Extended Streamflow Prediction (28-Day) for the Baton Rouge Gauge issued today forecasts stages will continue to rise to 20.0 feet on January 25 and to then begin a slow fall to 12.7 feet on February 20 (2024).
