Foreign Dredge Act of 1906
The Foreign Dredge Act of 1906 prohibits any foreign-built or chartered ships from dredging in the U.S. The result is to exclude the world’s largest dredging companies that could provide better and cheaper service for dredging projects at the behest of a few politically connected companies.
This 113-Year-Old Law Is Hurting American Ports
The U.S. has the largest economy in the world, but it has subpar shipping ports. America barely ranks in the top 20 of the world’s busiest shipping ports—in no small part because of this 113-year-old law that prevents their ability to expand.
A lack of maintenance on dredging and increasing ship depth has left U.S. harbors functioning at full channel depth and width only 35% of the time.
At times, port authorities say they have asked for bids on dredging projects, but no American dredgers can respond because they are operating at full capacity. Foreign competitors have demonstrated the ability to complete projects in less time at lower costs.