Los Angeles celebrates channel deepening completion

Conducted by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the 10 year, US$370m project involved deepening the port’s 45 foot (13.7 m) Main Channel and the West and East Basin Channels to 53 feet (16.2 m) in order accommodate the largest container ships currently in service.

During the course of the multi-year effort, the USACE excavated and relocated 15m cubic yards (11.5m cu m) of dredge material to various sites throughout the port. Some of the material was used to construct the 104 acre (42 ha) Cabrillo Shallow Water Habitat, a replacement habitat and feeding area for fish and marine birds in the outer harbour.

A statement by the port said that its container terminal tenants rely on the port’s deep channels to move cargo. These terminals generate about 74% of port revenues and help facilitate hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs throughout Southern California.