The transportation of goods is one of the most important purposes served by Mississippi's docks. Magnolia Marine Transport, a company located in Vicksburg, Miss., licenses barges to transport oil and asphalt along the river. The asphalt is primarily used in large-scale construction projects, and the oil is used for heating and fuel needs. These ships drop anchor at docks and terminals in Mississippi, as well as states as far north as Illinois and as far south as Louisiana.
A fishing dock, otherwise known as a fishing pier, is a wooden structure where small fishing vessels can be tied up. You don't need a boat to take advantage of a fishing dock. Just walk to the end of the dock and try your luck casting into the water. There are many notable fishing piers in the Biloxi, Miss., area. These include the Broadwater Marina, which once housed casino boats and juts out more than 1,500 feet into the Mississippi Sound.
Riverboat casinos are big business in Mississippi. They operate mainly out of the towns of Biloxi and Tunica. Though Hurricane Katrina destroyed most of Biloxi's riverboat casinos in 2004, the majority of the boats have been rebuilt. These boats no longer cruise up and down the Mississippi, as they did when riverboat gambling was resuscitated from its 19th-century origins in the 1990s. Instead, they remain docked in the port, so that gamblers can get on and off at will.
A drydock is a type of dock that can be flooded and drained of water, letting the vessel in the dock come to rest on a dry platform. It is used for the repair and maintenance of ships. In Mississippi, companies such as Signal International offer drydock services for ships and oil rigs. While in drydock, the rig can have its steel replaced or its thrusters repaired. Water and power are also available from the shore.
