PHOTO: The Essayons busy dredging Gray’s Harbor

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Portland District has just released this beautiful photo, taken yesterday at Gray’s Harbor, Washington, where the Essayons is busy dredging the navigation channel.

You can see a storm is brewing off the port (left) side.

Meanwhile, USACE’s other dredge, the Yaquina (not pictured), is busy working Morro Bay, California.

The Portland District’s hopper dredges Yaquina and Essayons, work to ensure a safe “highway” for ships and other vessels.

The hopper dredge is a specialized sea-going vessel designed to dredge and transport dredged material from ocean bars, fast flowing rivers and isolated harbors to open-water disposal areas.