U.S. dredging company Curtin Maritime hosts Commander of U.S Army Corps of Engineers, Task Force Virgin Islands Puerto Rico (TF-VIPR), Colonel Charles Decker on the dredge DB AVALON. Curtin Maritime has mobilized the DB AVALON for the San Juan Harbor deepening project. The American flag Jones Act dredge DB AVALON is state-of-the-Art and one of the largest and most efficient clamshell dredges in North America. The dredging project consists of construction and maintenance dredging in designated areas of the Federal navigation channel and Puerto Rico Ports Authority (PRPA) berthing areas. The project also involves constructing 50 feet of new channel on both sides of Army Terminal Channel to increase the total channel width by 100 feet from 350 feet to 450 feet.
Joel A. Pizá Batiz, Executive Director, Puerto Rico Port Authority and Ing. Josué A. Colón Ortiz, Executive Director, Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority joined Colonel Decker alongside TF-VIPR staff and briefed by Curtin Maritime’s technical staff and crew of the DB AVALON.
According to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TFVIPR, the deepening of the Anegado and Army Terminal canals, widening of the Army Terminal canal, and the expansion of the San Antonio canal allows significant advances in the docking and maneuverability of ships, freighters, barges and cruise ships. This generates savings in maritime transportation, shortening maneuver times, reducing pollutant emissions and obtaining energy savings.
Photo credit: Army Corps of Engineers, Task Force Virgin Islands Puerto Rico (TF-VIPR)
