Posted on December 10, 2025
Four U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) laboratories, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District (NAN), recently joined forces to conduct a series of anchor penetration-depth field tests at Stapleton Anchorage in the New York Harbor.
Representatives from the Coastal and Hydraulics (CHL), Environmental (EL), Geotechnical and Structures (GSL) and Cold Regions Research and Engineering (CRREL) laboratories and NAN performed the testing in September.
The NAN-funded project aims to ensure safer navigation and protect underwater infrastructure by measuring how deeply anchors can penetrate various substrates, thereby preventing injury and structural damage.
Kyle Gordon, associate technical director in EL, appreciates ERDC and NAN implementing research to solve complex problems for the betterment of those traveling USACE waters.
“This project is another great example of how we can use applied research to increase safety, decrease impacts to critical infrastructure and navigation, and reduce downtime for water-borne commerce, all while accelerating regulatory decision-making and increasing regulatory certainty and transparency,” said Gordon.
Increasing regulatory assurance is paramount, as it fuels the project’s mission to establish a universal regulatory standard across USACE. Benjamin Emery, a research scientist with CHL, explained several factors that led to USACE accepting this challenge.
“The goal of this project is to fully improve our current federal regulations on pipelines and cables crossing under our waterways,” said Emery. “There are many documented cases of anchor and spud strikes with underwater infrastructure, leading to loss of life, damage to vessels, damage to cables, and lawsuits associated with each. Anchor entanglement with cables also renders the anchor useless, as it cannot bite into the sediment and stop the vessel. The results of the testing will allow us to have a scientific standard to set these regulations.”
EL’s image sonar-equipped Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) was used during the test to document each anchor drop below the surface. The ROV provided real-time, turbidity-tolerant visuals of the anchor on the seabed to confirm anchor orientation and set, count chain links, and estimate initial penetration depth and immediate seabed disturbance.
Justin Wilkens, a research biologist from EL, spoke about the critical role that the ROV plays in collecting data to determine necessary upgrades.
“Maintaining safe, reliable underwater infrastructure in USACE waters depends on applied science,” said Wilkens. “ROV-based imaging adds immediate, ground-truth evidence of seabed conditions and infrastructure exposure, making it easier to verify designs, detect hazards, and communicate findings clearly to stakeholders. Harbors experience heavy traffic, ongoing dredging, and frequent anchoring across varied sediment types, so burial depth and protection requirements must be based on geotechnical data, not assumptions. A multidisciplinary workflow including geotechnical sampling and lab tests, hydrodynamic/current measurements, anchoring and traffic observations, and seafloor imaging reduces uncertainty and manages risk to infrastructure and navigation.”
Successful test results could be cost-effective by reducing incidents that are detrimental to human life and infrastructure. Bryan Casillas, a research civil engineer from GSL, added that the results could also decrease commerce downtime.
“This research effort has the potential to influence specifications for underwater infrastructure that could reduce the number of incidents, thus saving time and money,” said Casillas. “Damage to underwater infrastructure impacts both the vessel and the service users of that infrastructure. The vessels studied in this research effort are time-sensitive. Delays at any point in the vessel’s voyage drive up costs and create a ripple effect downstream. The vessel may be carrying cargo with expiration dates, or it could be carrying critical equipment.”
Working on this project also brought ERDC professionals from across laboratories together. Meghan Quinn, a senior research civil geotechnical engineer at CRREL, enjoyed collaborating with her ERDC teammates.
“Working across ERDC is an exciting and rewarding experience,” said Quinn. “Uniting to understand complex challenges, leveraging cross-lab expertise, and unifying to problem solve is a force multiplier and great team-building opportunity.”
The successful NAN/ERDC partnership demonstrates the two agencies’ teamwork and collaborative skills. Stephan Ryba, chief of the USACE New York District’s Regulatory Division, spoke highly of their work with ERDC.
“NAN Operations and Regulatory Divisions have been satisfied with the exemplary work conducted by ERDC on pulling together prior research to support the development of burial depth requirements for utility cables and pipelines,” said Ryba.
“Their commitment to engaging the local maritime community has greatly enhanced our understanding of seabed conditions, sediment types, and navigational safety concerns within the New York and New Jersey Harbor,” Ryba added. “We eagerly anticipate the findings of this study, which will undoubtedly lead to improved burial depth strategies that ensure the safety and efficiency of our marine infrastructure.”
Sentiments are shared on ERDC’s side, as Dr. Jack Cadigan, a research civil engineer at CHL, applauded NAN for its role in facilitating the project.
“NAN has been great to work with,” said Cadigan. “They are essential for this project to be a success as we are using their USACE-owned vessels and working hand-in-hand with them for the development and execution of the study.”
This project is ongoing, and more testing will follow in Spring 2026 due to tides and operational challenges that prevented the team from capturing all intended data. The team plans to recreate this field demonstration in a different location to test anchor penetration in different soil types.
