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Dredge Operators

Operate dredge to remove sand, gravel, or other materials in order to excavate and maintain navigable channels in waterways.

What you’d do

  • Move levers to position dredges for excavation, to engage hydraulic pumps, to raise and lower suction booms, and to control rotation of cutterheads.
  • Start and stop engines to operate equipment.
  • Start power winches that draw in or let out cables to change positions of dredges, or pull in and let out cables manually.
  • Pump water to clear machinery pipelines.
  • Lower anchor poles to verify depths of excavations, using winches, or scan depth gauges to determine depths of excavations.
  • Direct or assist workers placing shore anchors and cables, laying additional pipes from dredges to shore, and pumping water from pontoons.

Skills that matter

  • Operation and Control
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Coordination
  • Critical Thinking
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Active Listening

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Dredge Operator
  • Dredger

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