A partnership between Fincantieri Marinette Marine, the City of Menominee, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will explore potentially deepening the channel of the Menominee River that feeds into the Bay of Green Bay. Menominee’s City Council approved this week becoming the non-federal sponsor of the Menominee Harbor Federal Navigation Project, which begins with a feasibility study by the Corps to determine the impacts dredging the channel from the mouth of the bay to the shipyard would have on the local economy and environment. Much of the river there is already at a depth of about 26-feet, but FMM CEO Jan Allman says if the dredging was deemed appropriate, it would deepen a few high points that exist along that channel, which would aid in the construction and launch of larger vessels like the Navy’s new Fast Frigate. Per the contract, Menominee would not incur any financial obligations by serving as the non-federal sponsor, but would act as a pass-through, with all costs for the feasibility study and associated work to be reimbursed by Marinette Marine.