PHOTO: dredge Yaquina docked in Portland

The hopper dredge Yaquina has just finished up a busy dredging season and is now docked at Terminal 2, managed by the Port of Portland.

According to the Army Corps’ Portland District, she and her younger sister, the Essayons, will spend the next week or two there prepping for several months in drydock at Vigor shipyard for maintenance and repairs.

These Portland District’s hopper dredgers work to ensure a safe ‘highway’ for container ships and other vessels.

The Essayons, operated by a merchant marine crew, helps maintain the entrance bars, rivers and harbors on the coasts of California, Oregon, Hawaii, Alaska and, in emergencies, the Mississippi River. Because of its size and dredging depth, the Essayons is well-suited for dredging work in larger coastal entrances.

The Yaquina helps to maintain the entrance bars, rivers and harbors on the coasts of Oregon, California and Washington.