Weekly News Summary For January 29-February 4, 2007:
Strong currents and overwhelming debris halted the search for a Paducah, Ky., harbor tug crew member missing since he and two others were thrown into the swirling waters of the Ohio River when the Bruce D sank suddenly. The incident occurred late in the evening of January 19.
According to the Inland River Record, the 56- by 18.5-foot vessel is owned by McGinnis Inc. of South Point, Ohio. In recent years the 850 hp. vessel has worked in the Paducah harbor for McGinnis’s Ledbetter fleeting and harbor service operation and for National Maintenance & Repair, also a McGinnis river venture.
Sandy McDaniel, general manager of National Maintenance & Repair, referred all questions to Russell Painter at McGinnis’ South Point headquarters. Painter said the company is not in position to release any information regarding the accident or employees involved.
Emergency responders said recovery efforts were hampered from the start by swift currents, strong winds and islands of accumulated debris and flotsam that buffeted search and rescue vessels. For two days, they launched their search and rescue vessels at the foot of Broadway in Paducah, three miles downstream from where the boat was believed to have sunk. Officials were notified of the accident shortly before midnight on January 19 by the crew of the Capt. O.A. Franks, who rescued two crew members after hearing their cries for help….
The Captain of the Port of New Orleans issued a notice of high-water conditions to towing companies in the vicinity of Wilkinson Point (Baton Rouge) and recommended using towing vessels with a horsepower ratio of greater than 240 hp. per barge and a maximum of 36 barges per tow for southbound transit.
It also recommended towing companies should consider staffing vessels with the most experienced crews to deal with the fast currents expected as the Baton Rouge gauge reading topped 28 feet and was expected to rise.
A Coast Guard broadcast also was issued for recommendations for vessels transiting the Port Allen Locks.
“Canal towing companies and tow operators pushing tows greater than 600 feet in length, excluding the length of the towing vessel, should consider using private assist vessels when entering and exiting the Port Allen Locks,” the advisory said….
Associated Terminals, one of the fastest growing stevedoring companies on the Lower Mississippi River, christened its 11th crane barge, the derrick barge Glenn S, in a ceremony January 5.
With a pedestal-mounted Gottwald HPK 330 crane, the Glenn S is one of the most powerful derrick barges on the river. The barge measures 270 by 72 by 15 feet.
Associated Terminals operates the Chalmette Slip south of New Orleans, the Globalplex Terminal at the Port of South Louisiana and Galveston Bulk Terminal in Galveston, Texas, in addition to 11 midstream facilities on the Lower Mississippi between Miles 58 and 141.
David Fennelly, president of Associated Terminals, called Glenn Schexnayder, vice president of the firm and the barge’s namesake, the image of Associated Terminals for the company’s customers.
“Glenn has been the face and the voice for our customers all across the United States as well as in countries all over the world,” Fennelly said. “He represents with honor the excellent work performed daily by his many colleagues at Associated Terminals. Our customers appreciate his integrity, kindness and honesty. They trust his commitment to the pledge that everyone at Associated Terminals places the interests of our customers at the forefront of every decision.”…
The Coast Guard’s Unified Command reopened the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway near Bayou Perot, La., on January 23, after response teams corralled most of the crude oil leaking from a damaged wellhead.
More than 25,000 feet of oil containment boom was deployed around the wellhead in Bayou Perot and along neighboring shorelines, according to the Coast Guard. Oil was removed from the GIWW and Lake Salvador before the waterway was reopened to all vessels.
The Captain of the Port of New Orleans closed the GIWW early on January 21 between Miles 16 and 35, when escaping oil entered the waterway. The security zone was later reduced to Miles 19–21….
A lot of money, and a change in the law, is required for the Corps of Engineers to use sediment dredged from the Mississippi River to help rebuild the eroding coastal marsh lands of South Louisiana.
That was the understanding that participants left with after an open meeting January 19 at the Corps’ New Orleans headquarters, held to gather comments for a Corps report entitled “Mississippi River, Southwest Pass—Beneficial Use Review.”
The report is being fast-tracked, with comments due by January 26, and the report due to be released March 30. An interim report, to be circulated among the meeting participants, was proposed.
Heather Jennings is heading up the Corps review.
Most of the Corps’ dredging on the Lower Mississippi River is between Mile -22 BHP (Below the Head of Passes) and Mile 4 AHP (Above Head of Passes).
Dredging costs about $32 million per year in the area, one of the largest expenditures of the Corps’ operations and maintenance budget. The average annual budget for all dredging activities on the Mississippi River Project from Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico is $43 million, which includes River crossings, Southwest Pass and the New Orleans harbor….
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