Modern Marvels· Season 12 · Episode 40
Dredging
They dig, scoop, suck, and spew an ocean of silt and sediment. Dredgers are the mechanical beasts that fuel the world's economic engine by clearing and deepening ports for mega-container ships. The roots of dredging go back as far as the Egyptians, who used their hands to open channels on the Nile to keep crops watered. The Romans, who used harbor dredging to keep a tight fist on Europe, pioneered the "spoon and bag" dredge to speed up the process. Steam power brought about the first large-scale dredges and helped create the Panama Canal. We'll go aboard two of the largest US dredgers and see how they keep waters moving. And in Holland, we meet the biggest players on the dredging world and witness the launching of the largest dredge ever built. From there, we head to Dubai in the Middle East, where 90 square miles of new islands was dredged from the sea and will now create a pleasure world for the rich and powerful.
Streaming on (US) 
See all
Shows like Modern Marvels
The closest matches on shared genres, ranked by match strength and popularity.
- 01Mystery·Nature·HistoryCosmos1980–2020·National GeographicHosted by renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Cosmos will explore how we discovered the laws of nature and found our coordinates in space and time.
- 02Mystery·Nature·HistoryWhat on Earth?2015·Science
What on Earth? is a documentary series using satellite images of strange geological occurrences and man-made structures on Earth to examine such matters as the planet's extreme locations, phenomena and species. - 03Mystery·Nature·HistoryThe Sky at Night1957–present·BBC FourOur team of astronomers tell us what's on view in the night sky.
- 04Mystery·Nature·HistoryLost Treasures of Egypt2019–present·National Geographic
An immersive, action-packed series follows international teams of Egyptologists as they unearth the world's richest seam of ancient archaeology — Lost Treasures of Egypt. - 05Mystery·Nature·HistoryStrip the Cosmos2014–2020·ScienceIn each episode of Strip the Cosmos, stunning CGI strips major planets, moons, black holes, stars and galaxies of gases, minerals, rock, magma and gravitational force-fields – layer by layer – revealing the destiny,…
- 06Mystery·History·AdventureExpedition Unknown2015–present·DiscoveryIn the hit series Expedition Unknown, Travel Channel's witty explorer Josh Gates seeks answers to some of the world's most captivating unsolved stories and legends.
