Port of LA approves funding to complete US$7.5 million harbour dredging

THE Los Angeles Harbour Commission has approved US$7.5 million for the final phase of the Port of Los Angeles' Main Channel Deepening Project (MCDP).

The project has taken the port's main navigational channels and basins to a 53-foot (16 metres) depth, ensuring that the nation's number one gateway for containerised trade can accommodate ships of all sizes for decades to come, a statement from port authorities said.

"Channel deepening has been our single-most important infrastructure priority," said Port of Los Angeles executive director Geraldine Knatz.

"Channel depth and state-of-the-art facilities are critical components of our superior logistics. The completion of this project is critical to meeting the needs of the shipping lines that call at our port and growing our cargo business well into the future."

Dredging of the port's main channel and turning basins has already been completed. The final phase of the project involves removal of dredge surcharge material and completion of a shallow water habitat in the outer harbour.