USACE vessel Pathfinder to dredge Mississippi River

The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District’s MV Pathfinder will begin dredging on the Mississippi River this week.

When needed to maintain the 9-foot navigation channel, the St. Louis District’s Pathfinder deckhands and crew members wear dual hats.

They switch over from their regular duties to become excavator and backhoe operators that load and unload material barges during mechanical dredging of the river.

A mechanical dredge deposits material into a barge that transports it to the placement site. To maintain the congressional authorized navigation channel during the current low water conditions, the St. Louis District using a common operating picture coordinates the work of additional dredges as needed to support waterborne commerce.