Just read that a cutter suction dredge can move over 10,000 cubic yards a day

I was looking at an old project report from a channel deepening job in Mobile Bay. It said their main dredge moved 12,500 cubic yards of material in a single 24 hour shift. That number just blew my mind, you know? I've run smaller equipment, but that's like moving a whole football field of dirt three feet deep, every single day. Found it in the public works archive online while I was trying to get some specs. Has anyone here actually worked on a machine that could hit that kind of volume, or is that report maybe a bit optimistic?

2 comments

2 Comments

susanh4613h ago

That report's probably right... I've seen those big dredges work.

noahchen10h ago

My local park's pond got dredged last year, the crew said they moved 8,000 yards a week. It makes you realize how much hidden infrastructure work happens that we never see, just to keep things from filling in. Those big industrial numbers start to feel real when you see a small version of it.