The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting maintenance dredging at Honolulu Harbor to remove naturally recurring sediment such as sand, silt and clay so commercial and recreational vessels can safely enter, exit and maneuver.

Dredging is taking place within a “turbidity curtain corral” that hangs in the water, suspended from a floating boom, to contain suspended sediment and minimize impacts to the environment, according to an Army Corps Hawaii District news release.

Dredging of the harbor was split into three phases due to funding and agency coordination, with prior phases completed in 2022 and 2016 in other areas of the harbor, the release said. Current dredging action is expected to take about a month.

This is the third maintenance dredging project the corps has undertaken this year in Hawaii. Work at Kaunakakai Harbor and Kahului Harbor wrapped up April 30 and June 7, respectively. Approximately 28,000 cubic yards of sediment was removed from the Molokai harbor and 142,000 cubic yards from the Maui harbor, the release said.

Healy Tibbitts Builders Inc. is the contractor for Honolulu Harbor, and Camenzind Dutra JV Inc. was the contractor for Kaunakakai and Kahului harbors.