The Padre Island begins pumping water into the hopper during a “cut” or dredging run in Galveston Channel Aug. 2, 2023. Hopper dredges use dragheads affixed to trailing-arm suction pipes mounted on both sides of the vessel (port and starboard). The dragheads loosen sediment on the bottom off the seafloor and deliver the material to the vessel’s “belly” via the suction arms. After completing a cut and filling the hopper, the ship will travel offshore and pump sediment on to a designated dredging material placement area.