Weekly News Summary For January 4-10, 2010:
The Markland Board of Investigation found improper alignment of the gate leaves, equipment failure and the need for additional procedures led to the failure of the Markland lock chamber gate leaves September 27 on the Ohio River at Warsaw, Ky.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report found the chamber gate leaves failed because a solenoid valve malfunctioned, which caused continuous water flow into the lock chamber while the gates were closing. Solenoid valves are used in hydraulic systems to control valves. When the solenoid is active, the valve is open. When it is at rest, the valve is closed, the Corps said.
The lock operator saw water disturbance in the chamber but attributed this to prop wash instead of additional water entering the chamber, and initiated the miter gates to close. The additional water and pressure caused the gates to close improperly. The combination of an incomplete gate seal and water pressure differential forced the gates past their designed closure position, leading to their failure, the Board found.
“This is a unique situation in the history of our locks. We do not have any history of a solenoid valve failing in an open position, thus causing increased water flows and resulting damage to lock gate leaves,” said Louisville Engineer District Commander Col. Keith Landry.
The solenoid valves have been replaced in the 600-foot lock chamber at Markland and all valves have been inspected at the other Ohio River and tributary locks, said Landry….
The Nashville Engineer District set a workload record in fiscal 2009, obligating $220.7 million in contract work. Included in that total, the district awarded 111 contracts and modified 11 existing contracts, obligating $100 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the federal economic stimulus legislation. ARRA funds only became available to the district in the last half of the fiscal year.
“I am extremely proud of the work this team put into this endeavor. We obligated $48 million in Construction General (CG) and $52 million in Operations and Maintenance (O&M) by year-end on top of $120.7 million in normal appropriation execution. This truly is an outstanding achievement and a true reflection of the character of the Nashville District,” said Lt. Col. Anthony P. Mitchell, Nashville District Commander.
A&H Contractors, Inc., Memphis, Tenn., received the largest O&M contract in the amount of $3.35 million on September 30 to construct and replace existing mooring cells no longer serviceable in Pickwick Lake and Kentucky Lake on the Tennessee River.
The largest modification was $18 million to a CG contract previously awarded to Treviicos Soletanche JV, Boston, Mass., on May 4, but not completely funded. The Corps is three years into a six-year, $584 million seepage rehabilitation project at Wolf Creek Dam….
Campbell Transportation Company Inc., Houston, Pa., has purchased the fleeting, shifting, barge cleaning and topside repair operation of Bartley Marine Inc. in Wellsburg, W. Va. for an undisclosed sum. The purchase was finalized December 21.
Located at Mile 74.9 on the Ohio River, in the Pike Island pool, the fleeting service is “one pool down” from Campbell’s C&C Marine Maintenance repair yard at Georgetown, Pa., and “extends our presence” to that area, said Campbell’s chairman, Peter Stephaich.
The Bartley site has no drydocks, but rather consists of three barge-mounted cranes and approximately 6,000 feet of river frontage. Campbell did not purchase any of Bartley’s boats, Stephaich said, however, it did recently buy the 800 hp. towboat Three Rivers from Phil’s Towing Company.
Bartley Marine was founded in 1995 by Capt. Eugene Bartley Jr., who has owned and operated it continuously for 14 years. He will assist with the transition, and work part time as a harbor pilot. Campbell will rename the fleeting operation C&C Wellsburg.
Besides the Georgetown and now Wellsburg locations, C&C Marine Maintenance operates repair yards on the Monongahela River at Clairton, Pa. and Dunlevy, Pa. In all, the company has five drydocks, the largest being 185 by 32 feet, and a 500-ton marine way. Campbell Transportation operates 34 boats and 450 open hopper barges….
2009 was an active year for Upper Mississippi Fleeting, LLC. The company, with two locations at Buffalo and Muscatine, Iowa, added three more harbor boats to its fleet for a total of four. The boats were christened on September 24 at its Buffalo fleet.
The Donn L. Williams is a 940 hp boat powered by twin KTA1150 Cummins. Formerly named the Jeanne B, the boat was bought from Southern Illinois Sand Co. and rebuilt by Humboldt Boat Service. Humboldt raised the pilothouse 6.5 inches. A galley was also added to the boat which now operates at the Buffalo fleet, said Walt Bassow, president.
The Donn L. Williams is named in honor of Bassow’s former boss at Williams Marine Enterprises. Sadly, Williams passed away on August 2, just a couple months before the christening.
The Linwood Endeavor is the company’s new 1,320 hp boat with twin KTA19 Cummins engines. The boat was bought earlier in 2009 from DRD Towing and very little work has been done since. The boat was bought in ready-to-work condition and is also based at the Buffalo fleet.
The third boat christened was the City of Buffalo, a vessel that was formerly the Lor-Mar operated by Okie Moore Diving and River Contracting. The 560 hp vessel powered by Caterpillar 353 engines is currently running from Muscatine to Davenport two to three times per week transporting sand for W. G. Block Company….
A special committee appointed in June by Owensboro, Ky., mayor Ron Payne (WJ, July 6, 2009) recommended December 1 that the port remain publicly owned but focus on partnership to bring new business to the port.
Alan Bayden, former city commissioner, and chairman of the advisory committee told The Waterways Journal that he believes the likely outcome, if the recommendation is taken seriously and objectively, will be more opportunities for private/public partnerships that will result in increased business for the area.
The committee was charged with investigating the possible benefits and drawbacks from privatizing the port. The five-member committee, called the Advisory Committee on the Privatization of the Owensboro Riverport Authority, presented their recommendations to the Owensboro City Commission on November 24. The commission voted unanimously to receive them and forward them to the riverport’s board of directors for a response. Although receiving and forwarding them does not constitute an endorsement, City Commissioner Candace Brake told the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer that the commission was completely opposed to selling the port.
Ed Riney, the port’s president and chief executive officer, said he was pleased with the recommendation, which he expects the board to act on promptly. Only the board can make the decision whether to go private under state law. But Riney said there was no sentiment on the board for doing so.
“Most public ports break even; this port makes money,” he told The Waterways Journal. “Most of the pressure came from private port owners and potential third-party contractors to perform work at the riverport.” Riney said it was rare for a public port to go private….
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