(AP) — A project to clear a shipping channel in Louisiana has begun after sediments pushed into the waterway by hurricanes made the water too shallow for some ships to pass safely.
Port Fourchon Executive Director Chett Chiasson tells The Courier that the work on the Belle Pass in Lafourche Parish began last week.
Chiasson says the project started after the Greater Lafourche Port Commission gave $2.1 million to get the work completed by Jan 6.
He says the Army Corps of Engineers didn't have enough funding for the $3 million project.
Ships use the Belle Pass to travel from the port to the Gulf of Mexico oilfield.