Dredging underway to deepen West Ocean City harbor channels

WEST OCEAN CITY, Md. – Dredging is underway near the West Ocean City Harbor as crews work to deepen the channel and improve safety for commercial and recreational boaters.

The dredge Murden began operations Friday, clearing sand and debris that fishermen say has made the area increasingly difficult to navigate. Local fisherman Kerry Harrington says shallow conditions can create dangerous situations for vessels carrying heavy loads. “If you get stuck on a barge, [there’s] a lot of strain on a boat,” Harrington said. “And you’ve got 50,000 pounds of fish in the hold.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to remove roughly 5,000 cubic yards of material from the harbor entrance and surrounding channels. The goal is to restore safer depths in an area that has required repeated attention.

Captain Martin Willis, who oversees operations aboard the Murden, described the coordination needed to keep the vessel running efficiently. “Each person has their job assignment, their role in the whole big picture,” Willis said. “You typically keep a six-person crew — captain, mate, deckhand, engineers.”

In July, the Corps deployed the dredge Merritt to the same area for emergency work, blasting material more than 100 feet from the channel to quickly reopen the waterway. The current project, however, has been long planned and uses a different method.

The Murden sucks sediment into the vessel’s hopper, transports it miles away, and deposits it at approved offshore sites, a cycle repeated throughout the day.

Instead of shooting material aside, the Murden sucks sediment into the vessel’s hopper, transports it miles away, and deposits it at approved offshore sites, a cycle repeated throughout the day.

Harrington says this method makes a noticeable difference. “The Murden, this is the one we want,” he said. “Because that’s the one that takes the spoil out and distributes it on different bars and stuff.”

In July, the Corps deployed the dredge Merritt to the same area for emergency work, blasting material more than 100 feet from the channel to quickly reopen the waterway.

According to Willis, dredging will continue through Nov. 25, with a brief pause for the Thanksgiving holiday before work resumes near the West Ocean City Harbor.

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