The process of dredging and dredged material disposal means to removing the sediments from the bottom of a water body and disposing to a separate location.
The purpose of port dredging can be divided into two categories – maintenance and new work dredging.Maintenance DredgingMaintenance dredging is a periodic process of removing sediments such as sand, rocks, and other contaminants from underwater channels, berths, and moorings.
Sediments are a combination of materials that naturally collect and move from one place to another through wind, water, and wave action.
Maintenance dredging is needed to clear the channel and the harbor at an accessible depth to enable safe passage for commercial, cruise, and naval ships.New Work DredgingNew work dredging is another popular dredging process in navigation projects.
In this process, large sediments such as consolidated or cemented objects are dredged.
This process is comparatively more strenuous and requires higher forces to clean the bottom of channel than maintenance port dredging.Benefits of Dredged Material DisposalThe main goal of disposing dredged material is to ensure is disposed of in an environment-friendly manner.