The 2026 Lower Columbia River dredging season opened May 29 as the Port of Portland’s Dredge Oregon launched on the river to keep the federal navigation channel deep and wide enough for ships, tugs, and barges. This year marks the first time the Dredge Oregon and its supporting vessel fleet are running on R99 renewable diesel — a fuel made from 99 percent renewable sources like cooking oils and animal fats that can cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent and reduces particulate matter and other pollutants affecting regional air quality.

Also new this year is the Cowlitz, a new tender that replaces a decades-old boat used to push barges, pipeline segments, and the Dredge Oregon itself. Port officials said replacing the tender will reduce its emissions by up to 70 percent, and framed both upgrades as part of the Port’s path toward net zero carbon by 2050 and broader work to make sustainable marine fuels regularly available on the Columbia.

The season runs from after Memorial Day through December, with the Dredge Oregon moving more than a million cubic yards of sand and gravel each year to restore the channel to 43 feet deep and 600 feet wide. In 2026, the vessel will work an estimated six sites along the 106-mile channel between Portland and Astoria, supporting Oregon exports — nearly $28 billion in goods last year — and trade for as many as 40 other states.

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