The other version is called a hopper dredger, because it collects the material in a huge bin (or hopper) that takes up a big part of the ship. One is called a cutter suction, which is basically a barge-like vessel with a long pipe attached to deliver the material to shore or another location.

Sometimes the material on the bottom needs to be loosened up, so the dredger will use water jets or a rotating toothed cutter to help it along.īut where does this stuff go? Like the dredgers themselves, there are two types of containers for dredged material. The other flavor is hydraulic, or basically using a huge vacuum cleaner to do the same thing. Not the most efficient method, but it gets the job done in tight spaces. Mechanical dredgers use a giant bucket or claw to scoop up material, one clump at a time, and dump it on a barge for transport. No big deal.įor modern projects, dredgers come in one of two flavors: mechanical and hydraulic. Ever heard of the Suez Canal? How about the Panama Canal? Those are just two instances of dredging projects that changed the way the world shipped and received goods. Probably not even one and even if you could, you'd be really tired by the time you delivered it.ĭredging is more than just maintenance, however. Think of how many shipping containers you could carry on a rowboat. But without regular dredging, ports around the world would close, or else be limited to rowboats and paddle boards. They need ports that are deep enough to allow them to come in and offload. Why is it important? In a word, shipping.Ĭontainer ships are monstrous and keep getting bigger. You'll get plenty of fresh air, work with tools and machinery, and travel to different parts of the world, depending on whom you work for.ĭredge operators are unsung heroes of modern commerce, even though the actual duties sound humdrum: removing sand, silt, and various materials from lakes, harbors, and other bodies of water. Work as a dredge operator also appeals to people who abhor the thought of spending all their time in a cubicle. That's essentially what dredging is all about. It's the ideal job for people who spent hours as a kid digging up sand here and dumping it over there, hoping to create waterways through the backyard. Modern dredging equipment has taken most of the back-breaking element out of the work these days, and dredge operators scoop up about $45,000 per year on average ( source). You can bet the ancient Egyptians wished they had one of these.

Dredge operator