BALTIMORE -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, is scheduled to remove approximately 5,000 cubic yards of dredged material from the Ocean City Inlet beginning Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.
The dredge MURDEN will begin dredging Priority Area #1, which includes the entrance to Sinapuxent Channel, on Nov. 20 and continue through Nov. 25. The primary goal of this round of dredging is to finish clearing the entrance into West Ocean City Harbor that began earlier this year.
“We are proud to continue oversight of safe and reliable navigation in the Ocean City region with a new round of dredging operations within the Inlet,” said Baltimore District Commander Col. Francis Pera. “Ensuring local waterways remain accessible to our U.S. Coast Guard partners as well as commercial and recreational users is critical to both safety and economic security.”
The northern portion of the West Ocean City Harbor was dredged last July using USACE, Wilmington District’s sidecasting dredge MERRITT. Nearly 8,000 cubic yards of dredged material was removed from three priority areas within the inlet channel.
The MURDEN is expected to complete the clearing of the West Ocean City Harbor entrance shortly before the Thanksgiving holiday. If it is not able to complete scheduled operations by Nov. 25, dredging will resume on Nov. 29 and dredging operations will cease once the area is at the appropriate depth and cleared for vessel traffic.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District’s, Hopper Dredge MURDEN navigates an inlet near Ocean City during dredging efforts in Maryland, Sept. 20, 2021.
###
Additional Information
Baltimore District delivers vital engineering solutions in collaboration with its partners to serve and strengthen the Nation, energize the economy, and reduce disaster risks. Headquartered near Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, Baltimore District provides design, engineering, construction, environmental, and real estate expertise to various important projects and customers. This support spans five states, the District of Columbia, overseas, and the Susquehanna, Potomac, and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. These civil and military missions and diverse engineering services support communities and warfighters while addressing the ever-growing list of emerging national security requirements and ultimately protecting the Nation.