USTRANSCOM Report Reveals Key Challenges in U.S. Strategic Seaport Dredging Operations

A recently declassified U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) report has identified significant challenges affecting dredging operations at strategic U.S. seaports, with findings that contradict common assumptions about equipment availability under the Jones Act.

The report, titled “Dredging and the Strategic Seaport Program,” was commissioned through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025. Rather than equipment shortages, the primary challenges identified include limited disposal areas for dredged material, complex permitting processes, and complicated cost-sharing requirements between stakeholders.

“All seaports, particularly those on the East Coast, are being strangled by outdated and overly burdensome regulations that restrict the number of days dredging operations can take place. said William P. Doyle, CEO of the Dredging Contractors of America. “In some mid-South Atlantic regions, we’re limited to just four months per year.”

The study examined three strategic seaports, revealing specific regional challenges. In Savannah, environmental work windows have complicated contract awards. Virginia faces disposal site capacity limitations until at least 2027, while Gulfport requires additional funding to meet the Strategic Seaport Program’s depth standards.

Doyle called the findings “a call to action for Congress and the executive branch to modernize dredging regulations, streamline permitting, and ensure sufficient resources are allocated for long-term infrastructure resilience.”

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