Major dredging project for Long Beach

The dredging work, scheduled to begin in March of 2010, is being partially financed by federal stimulus funding.

The dredging involves four separate locations. The primary focus is a turning basin south of the BP oil terminal on Terminal Island (Pier T), which will be deepened to 76 feet (23.2 m), the same depth as the main channel. The deeper inner basin means large tankers no longer will need to unload part of their oil outside the breakwater to safely reach berth.

The new depth will also allow ships to turn safely in the inner basin. Oil tankers must point toward the ocean when docked so that they can quickly move away from the berth in an emergency. The BP Terminal is one of the busiest oil terminals on the West Coast.