Capsule News Summary For March 7–13, 2005:
The Illinois River Carriers Association (IRCA) is putting on a full-court press to try to get Congress to appropriate money to alter the EJ&E Railroad Bridge near Morris, Ill.
The bridge, at Illinois Waterway Mile 270.6, has a 120-foot horizontal clearance, at a time when the standard dry-cargo tow is 105 feet wide and the standard channel width is 300 feet wide, said John Kindra, president of Kindra Lake Towing and chairman of IRCA's EJ&E Bridge Committee.
Meanwhile, several studies have confirmed what mariners already know; the EJ&E bridge is the "most-hit" bridge on the inland waterways. In fact the bridge gets hit twice as often as the next bridge on the list, Kindra said.
Further, the EJ&E Railroad uses the bridge daily to transport tank cars across the river, creating the potential for an environmental disaster if the bridge is damaged by a barge tow.
The Coast Guard declared the bridge unreasonably obstructive to navigation under the Truman-Hobbs Act in 1995. Under that act, the bridge must be altered to make it easier for commercial navigation to pass through its span; the cost of the alteration is shared between the bridge owner and the federal government….
Recovery operations at Montgomery Locks and Dam began on March 3 of the towboat mv. Elizabeth M, owned by Campbell Transportation, and four of its six barges following the January 9 high water incident in which three of the seven crewmembers died and a fourth remains missing after the vessel sank.
Officials with the Pittsburgh Engineer District and Marine Safety Office (MSO)-Pittsburgh were awaiting favorable river conditions, including a drop in the river level, to provide the needed window of opportunity for salvage divers to safely put the rear-lifting sling in place so that the towboat can be raised.
Lt. Justin Covert, spokesman of the MSO-Pittsburgh, said the first priority is to the raise the towboat. Afterwards, salvage operations could then focus on the four sunken barges….
Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC (MAP), Findlay, Ohio, recently completed the purchase of two 3,200 hp. towboats, the Joe McAlister and the Lori Johnson, which will be added to the firm's growing fleet of river equipment.
As listed in the Inland River Record, the Joe McAlister was built by Greenville Shipbuilding Corporation in 1976. It is 116 by 34 feet and powered by a pair of GM 16-567BC diesels. Originally named Lucille and owned by its builder, the boat was sold while quite new to McAlister Construction Company Inc., Memphis, and renamed. In 1991 it was sold to RECO Transportation Inc., Gilbertsville, Ky., and in 2004 the boat was acquired by Ingram Barge Company.
The Lori Johnson was originally the Dixie Invader, owned by Dixie Carriers, Houston, and built by Janoush Marine Inc., Rosedale, Miss. Later transferred to Brent Transportation Corporation, Greenville, Miss., and renamed Barbara Brent, it was again transferred in 1998 to Kirby Inland Marine Inc., Houston. In 2000 the boat was sold to John's Towing Service Inc., Shippingport, Pa. The Lori Johnson is 110 by 34 feet and powered by a pair of GM 12-645 diesels.
As they join the MAP towboat fleet, the Joe McAlister and Lori Johnson will be renamed Marathon and Speedway, respectively….
St. James Stevedoring Company Inc. dedicated its new floating crane the Alex G at ceremonies held at St. James' corporate headquarters in Convent, La., on February 3. Named after the firm's co-founder Alex Goldberger, the Alex G was built by Gottwald Port Technologies of Dusseldorf Germany. It is the first Gottwald mobile harbor crane mounted on barge and is designated HPK-330 EG.
Attending the ceremony was the honoree Alex Goldberger and his wife Sally. A delegation from Gottwald led by Mathais Dobner, chief technical officer, came to celebrate the event. Also joining the dedication were attendees to the Mississippi Valley Trade and Transport Conference, local government officials, port officials, family, friends and industry representatives. Sally Goldberger finalized the event when she gave the order to drop a magnum bottle of champagne on the deck from 50 feet.
St. James selected Gottwald after an extensive search of available crane technologies. Gottwald, who had been seeking a partner to enter into the floating crane market, presented the perfect match. The Alex G was ordered in late April 2004 and delivered to New Orleans for assembly in November. The crane was handed over to St. James on December 13 and commenced handling cargo on December 22….
Reagan Equipment Company Inc., Harvey, La. has been granted certification by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) for a new barge pump drive the company has developed for tank barges on the inland waterways. Named Pump Pak, the new product is the first of its kind to be CSA-certified, in addition to complying with U.S. Coast Guard regulations covering the transfer of chemicals and petroleum products in hazardous locations, the firm reports.
A product bearing CSA's mark tells the consumer it has been tested under a formal process that includes examination, testing and follow-up inspection and that it meets the requirements of applicable standards. The Pump Pak is certified to meet Class I, Division 2, Gas Groups C and D requirements.
Chris Hough, Reagan's director of engineering, said the unit had been under development for seven months.
"We wanted to come up with a product that is universally accepted and not subject to different interpretations by various agencies," he said….
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