Watch Our Engineers Perform Underwater Demolition

Sometimes engineers get to blow things up...underwater.

The City of Ketchikan, Alaska, is expanding two berths to accommodate larger cruise ships in Tongass Narrows, a popular cruise ship destination. The work includes removing more than 5,800 cubic yards of contiguous rock in an underwater pinnacle which poses a navigation hazard to the cruise ships. Test blasting, as seen in the video, began mid-December, and the underwater demolition is expected to be completed later this month. All dredging is scheduled to be completed in early March - well ahead of the upcoming cruise season.

Tongass Narrows is also frequented by humpback whales, Steller sea lions, and harbor seals. Marine mammal observers are coordinating with the blasting crew to ensure that no whales, sea lions, or seals are within the blast area in order to minimize any adverse impacts to the local marine ecosystem.

We are honored to be a part of this project in beautiful Southeast Alaska. The project is scheduled to be completed a year ahead of its original schedule, allowing the city to continue the berth expansion earlier than expected.

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