For the second straight year, water levels in the Mississippi, North America's biggest river, have dropped to record lows amid a lengthy drought. From Louisiana to Missouri, the crew of the dustpan dredge Hurley has been working around-the-clock for months to deepen the channels so boats and barges can pass through. The dredge is currently digging at the same spot near Memphis, Tennessee for the third time, "to keep the commerce industry moving up and down the river", says the vessel's captain Adrian Pirani. The drought has left the river narrower and shallower, limiting shipping capabilities. For farmers, who are dependent on the river to ship their products, the bottleneck is ill-timed: early autumn is when they are working flat out to harvest soybeans and corn. [COMPLETES VIDI33YH9BQ_EN AND VIDI33YU7GY_EN] IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES