Weekly News Summary For March 27-April 2, 2006:
Safety, Security Dominate Conference Talk
Safety management is one of the most important aspects of operating towing vessels on the inland waterways, and as expected, the topic dominated much of the discussion at the Inland Waterways Conference March 12–14 in Memphis.
“Ten, 15, or 20 years ago, safety was a word; now it’s a culture,” Capt. Charlie Ritchie of Memco Barge Company told the audience. Safety management programs put into effect by vessel companies and captains are the most important way to minimize accidents, he said.
Ritchie was speaking during the “Captains’ Panel,” annually one of the highlights of the three-day conference. The panel provides an opportunity for vessel captains to speak directly about the waterways issues that concern them. Between them, the six captains who participated in this year’s panel—Ritchie, Capt. Bennie Ainsworth of American River Transportation Company, Capt. Frank Ellis of Kirby Corporation, Capt. Dan Irvin of Ingram Barge Company, Capt. Scott Logsdon of Crounse Corporation and panel moderator Capt. Michael Rushing of Rushing Marine—have more than 180 years of combined wheelhouse experience.
In matters of safety, the most important aspect seemed to be attitude. The captains shared some of the principles that guide their actions, and they all seemed to revolve around instilling an attitude of safety awareness aboard the boat. Irvin mentioned the KISS principle, short for “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” Ingram did a study of fatigue, and found that a good way to reduce fatigue was to reduce the number of “hoops” that a captain has to jump through to do his job.
Ritchie said Memco has a “NOT NOW” policy, which stands for “No Talk, No Work.” That means if a captain can’t communicate with his crew, work will stop until the communication problem—such as a bad walkie-talkie battery—is resolved….
The U.S. inland barge fleet experienced another year of declines, down more than 2,500 barges from a historical high just seven years ago. In the past year, although 328 new barges were added to the overall fleet, barge operators retired 714 barges, according to a report by Informa Economics Inc, Memphis.
The Barge Fleet Profile, now in its 17th year, is an annual report published by Informa Economics. The report identifies the line haul, commodity-carrying fleet of inland barges operating on the Mississippi River system, its connecting waterways and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
The report, which is compiled through an annual survey of operators as well as information from the Army Corps of Engineers, also summarizes the size and average age of the fleet by barge operator for each type of barge. Included are covered barges that move grain and oilseeds, fertilizers, steel and other products, as well as open barges that haul coal, sand, gravel and similar type product. Details on tank barges that transport liquid products also are included….
The 2006 season on the Upper Mississippi River began the morning of March 22 when the mv. Reggie G, operated by Alter Barge Line Inc., Bettendorf, Iowa, reached St. Paul on March 22 after passing through Lock and Dam 2 in Hastings, Minn. On March 21, the tow locked through Lock and Dam 3 after breaking through the ice on Lake Pepin.
The mv. Itaska of Upper River Services ceremoniously opened the season in St. Paul by hosting dignitaries, including Minnesota Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau, who also serves as commissioner of transportation. Others involved included St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman, officials from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, St. Paul Authority, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Upper River Services Inc. and Riverfront Development….
The Marine Safety Unit Morgan City is currently investigating a collision between the mv. Jesus Saves and the mv. Megan E. Dupre and mv. E.H. Demouy in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, at Mile 81, south of Gibson, La, on March 16.
Reportedly, the mv. Jesus Saves’ port lead hopper barge and an offshore barge, which was under tow by the vessels Megan E. Dupre and E.H. Demouy, collided. The Jesus Saves’ barge, loaded with about 1,500 tons of organic salt, subsequently sank at Mile 81 and is blocking a large portion of the channel in about 18-19 feet of water. The offshore barge suffered some damage above the water, but was permitted to proceed to a nearby facility for repairs.
A safety broadcast notice to mariners was released to mariners advising them of the incident and a temporary safety zone has been established from Miles 80-82. The safety zone is needed to protect persons and vessels from the potential safety hazards associated with a sunken barge….
In the spring of 2003, Houston-based Echo Towing Service decided to re-power its pushboat Tommy E. The question was, which engines to use. There were the mainstays of the industry—Detroits, Caterpillars and Cummins.
But there was a new engine on the market that intrigued the company owners. It was Mitsubishi.
Capt. Tom Echols, who founded Echo Towing in 1972 and has worked in the industry more than 50 years, said he had worked with Caterpillar, Detroit and Cummins engines. He was a bit reluctant to try Mitsubishi for the company’s first repowering. His son Tommy Jr., who joined the company in 1992 and is vice president, was more inclined to try the new engines.
It was the price per horsepower and performance that finally sold Capt. Tom on the Mitsubishi engines. Reliability and the reduced fuel costs convinced him to stay with Mitsubishi engines for the second and third boats the company repowered.
“On the S6A3 (483 hp.) engines, we got 32 percent more brake horsepower than from the 12V-71 Detroits we replaced and only burn an extra two to three gallons per hour,” the younger Echols said. “Re-powering the 16V-71s with S6R-MPTA engines, we got an additional 21 percent more brake horsepower and reduced fuel consumption by about 10 gallons per hour.”…
The members of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority appointed Thomas Griffith of Amory, Miss., as the authority’s administrator during its recent quarterly meeting in Nashville, Tenn. Griffith served as mayor of Amory from 1975 to July 2005, when he chose not to run for re-election. He has considerable experience in economic and community development and was responsible for the development and management of the city’s public port while serving as mayor.
“The authority is very pleased to have someone with Thomas’ management skills and experience to succeed our long-time administrator, Don Waldon,” said Nick Ardillo, the waterway agency’s vice-chairman. “He is a charter member of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Council and has served as that waterway trade association’s chairman. He is also past president of two very important state organizations, the Mississippi Water Resources Association and the Mississippi Municipal League, which is a unique honor for an elected official from a small city.”…
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