Posted on July 24, 2024
Maintenance dredging is currently underway at the Honolulu Harbor, located on the southern coast of the island of O‘ahu, by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Honolulu District.
This is the third maintenance dredging project that the Corps has undertaken this year in Hawai‘i.
Honolulu Harbor is the principal seaport of the State of Hawai‘i. Hawai‘i receives more than 98% of all goods through its harbors. Much of the containerized items are first shipped into Honolulu Harbor, then separated and trans-shipped to the neighbor islands.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regularly conducts maintenance dredging of its federal harbors around the United States; without dredging, many harbors and ports would be impassable to cargo ships and passenger liners.
Periodic maintenance dredging to remove naturally recurring deposited sediment such as sand, silt, and clays in existing navigation waterways is essential to accommodate commercial and recreational vessels to maintain the state’s economy.
Dredging takes place within a turbidity curtain corral that contains all the suspended sediment in the water to minimize impacts to the environment. The curtain hangs in the water and is suspended from a floating boom that sits atop the water surface.
Maintenance dredging of Honolulu Harbor has been split into 3 different phases due to funding and agency coordination. Prior phases were completed in 2022 and 2016, where dredging was done in other areas of the harbor. Current dredging action is expected to take approximately a month.
Maintenance dredging at Kaunakakai Harbor, located on the south-central coast of the island of Moloka‘i, and Kahului Harbor, located on the northern coast of the island of Maui, were previously completed on April 30 and June 7, 2024, respectively.
“This is a team effort,” said Nani Shimabuku, Honolulu District’s Operations and Maintenance Program Manager. “Getting these projects completed required great partnerships with the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation and the local communities. We know these projects are not only important for the economy, but also essential for the people of Hawai‘i.”
Kaunakakai Harbor maintenance dredging was last conducted 1973, and Kahului Harbor was last dredged in 2016.
Approximately 28,000 cubic yards of sediment were removed from Kaunakakai Harbor, and approximately 142,000 cubic yards were removed from Kahului Harbor, so vessels could safely enter, exit, and maneuver within the harbors.
These harbors are operated by the State of Hawai‘i Department of Transportation Harbors Division.
“The recent dredging operations at Kahului Harbor and Kaunakakai Harbor were a success for USACE,” said Duane Kim, Harbors District Manager for the Hawai‘i State Department of Transportation Harbors, Maui District. “We felt things went well at both harbors and the Dutra Group were great to work with.”
Healy Tibbitts Builders, Inc. is the contractor for Honolulu Harbor and Camenzind Dutra JV, Inc. was the contractor for Kaunakakai and Kahului Harbors.
