We updated our extensive List of Boats Striking Dredge Pipes on January 24, 2024.

Our list is now four pages long and includes about 175 individual dredge pipe strikes and mentions several more.

Dredge pipe strikes continue to claim lives as reported in Dredging Today as Boater Killed After Striking Dredge Pipe in Cape May Harbor.

In 2017 Mercury Marine made a presentation on the hazard of dredge pipe strikes to the Western Dredge Association which was discussed in the July/August 2017 issue of International Dredging Review. The cover page of Mercury’s presentation is shown below.

Mercury Marine 2017 presentation to Western Dredge Association on the hazards of dredge pipe strikes. Cover Page.

In 2015, the U.S. Coast Guard issued a Marine Safety Alert regarding the hazards of dredge pipes to boats. Click on the image below to see the full USCG Marine Safety Alert.

USCG Dredging Safety Alert title page.

Striking dredge pipes can cause those on board to be ejected and struck or repeatedly struck by the boat propeller as the unmanned boat circles. Striking dredge pipes can also result in the outboard motor breaking off and flipping into the boat still under power with the propeller turning a few thousand RPM.

Don’t make us add another page to our list of dredge pipe strikes, be very careful near dredging operations.