You don't have to have worked in a field to write about it, though it helps. A good reporter would talk to some people who worked in the field to get their opinions.
This article is more confident than seems warranted, but that's more tone than substance. It does seem to be based on a lot of reading, which isn't a bad way to get started at learning about new things.
(Talking excessively confidently about things you just learned something about is very common on the social media. It's kind of the house style.)
Jones Act is used very liberally in lawsuits to protect ship owners against worker injury.
Dredging is not a bottleneck. Money is.
You can't throw a bigger dredge at the problem. Dredges rotate between contracts. Some cities might need deeper channels other might want a wider beach.
Sand shifts on the sea floor. It is highly unpredictable.
Mother nature will put sand where she wants.
Most people have no idea how abrasive sand is. Imagine sandblasting the inside of your dredge pump while its running.
That is what happens. The thing is most dredge pumps have an impeller casing of 8 foot diameter. It is a huge pump on the scale of hydroelectric pumps. But it pumps a slurry of sand.
Very maintenance intensive even with hardfacing interior surfaces..
Nowhere in the article does he prove this. It is just a guess from somebody who has ZERO marine experience.
He thinks he can change the world. Please work in a field before posting stupid opinions.