Mobile Harbor deepening gets federal authorisation

The Alabama State Port Authority has received US federal authorisation to modernise Mobile Harbor to accommodate larger vessels and improve transit efficiencies at Alabama’s only deep-water seaport, the Port of Mobile.

The proposed harbor improvement project would deepen the existing Bar, Bay, and River Channels to 52 feet (15.84 metres), 50 feet (15.24 metres), and 50 feet (15.24 metres), respectively. The project also includes widening the Bay Channel by 100 feet (30.48 metres) for three nautical miles to accommodate two-way vessel traffic, expanding the current Post-Panamax sized turning basin, and incorporating a minor bend easing in the lower Bay Channel.

Construction of the modifications could begin in late 2020.