Construction of the Port Bienville Barge Fleeting Area (Project No. PB2304) in Port Bienville, MS is underway thanks to a $502,855 grant awarded by the Mississippi Department of Transportation specifically for barge fleeting area construction. Barge fleeting areas are important to maritime commerce on rivers, particularly in the United States, as they provide secure places to temporarily store loaded and empty barges. 

In early 2024 contractor, Deep South Construction & Salvage, a leader in marine construction services, was selected to update the Port Beinville Barge Fleeting area. The project, which involves the installation of four new mooring dolphins and the removal and replacement of two existing ones, is part of the Hancock County Port & Harbor Commission's efforts to enhance the infrastructure at Port Bienville Industrial Park in Mississippi.

To aid the professionals at Deep South with this important task, an ICE® 44 Vibratory Driver Extractor was rented from International Construction Equipment, Inc. (ICE®) to drive the 24"(in) x ½"(in) wall pipe pile 100'(ft) deep to create the mooring dolphins, this included one plumb pile with two battered pile on 3:1 batters. Replacement of the existing timber piles with new longer steel piles was completed to ensure the longevity of this new foundation in the soft soil.

The construction of these new mooring dolphins is expected to have several positive impacts on the port's operations including increased capacity to accommodate more barges, improved safety, and reliability of mooring operations, optimization of barge traffic, and various economic benefits to the region. 

Overall, these enhancements will contribute to more efficient and safer operations at Port Bienville, supporting its growth and continued development. ICE® applauds the experts at Deep South Construction for their continued success and is happy to have provided the equipment needed to get this project done safely and efficiently. You can see more ICE® hammers and the ICE® team back at this same location when the PDCA CFI Driven Pile Academy is held in 2025, we hope to see you there!

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Media Contact-              
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA              
Vice President Marketing, Brand and Media Relations  
Vice President IT and IT Comm         
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc              
Office - 704-821-8200          Email - marketing@iceusa.com