Weekly News Summary For May 25 - 31, 2009:
An overflow crowd attended the 2009 hurricane planning meeting at the Hale Boggs Federal Building in New Orleans on May 14. Representatives of the Coast Guard, industry, Corps of Engineers, and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD) attended.
Raymond Butler, executive director of the Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association (GICA), served as moderator in the fast-moving, two-hour meeting.
Rear Adm. Joel Whitehead, retiring commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District, introduced the incoming commander, Rear Adm. Mary Landry, and praised the “tremendous cooperation” between government and industry in preparing for last season’s major storms, along with the ability to get commerce moving quickly after winds began to subside.
“I pray to God we have a quiet hurricane season,” Landry said.
The LaDOTD had a much larger representation at this year’s meeting, with the focus on keeping communication open with movable bridge operators, to accommodate evacuating residents and to allow tows to move to safe harbor before “Zulu hour,” 12 hours before gale-force winds hit a Coast Guard zone and all commercial marine traffic is shut down….
The Coast Guard instituted a high-water safety zone at 6 a.m. May 15 from Mile 225 to Mile 240 on the Lower Mississippi River in anticipation of an expected rise to 35 on the Baton Rouge gauge. Restrictions are also in effect on the Red River.
The following regulations were issued for the Mississippi River in a Marine Safety Information Bulletin, Vol IX, Issue XLIV, signed May 15 by Capt. Pauline Cook, alternate captain of the port of New Orleans.
The Vessel Traffic Control center was initiated, call sign Baton Rouge Traffic, which is located on the left descending bank. Baton Rouge Traffic stands by on VHF Channel 12. Northbound vessels are required to check in prior to arrival at Mile 225 or prior to entering the locks outbound for the river.
Canal tows with barges greater than 600 feet in length, not counting towing vessel, are required to use a private assist vessel with a minimum of 1,800 hp. when entering the Port Allen Locks. If intending to travel northbound, the tows shall initially proceed southbound and top around below Mile 226 at Red Eye Crossing with as assist vessel of at least 1,200 hp.
Trinity Marine Products announced May 21 that it was laying off 190 workers at its Brusly, La., barge facility. The company said the layoffs, which will take place by July, included hourly and administrative workers, who were told May 18. According to Riley Berthelot, president of West Baton Rouge Parish, the Brusly plant had a staff of between 200 and 300. A public relations spokesperson for the company made the brief announcement and said there would be no further comment.
Trinity, the nation’s largest builder of barges and fiberglass barge covers, is the inland barge division of Trinity Industries, which includes businesses that build and lease rail cars, use concrete in construction, and build wind towers. Trinity is a leader in all those industries.
Trinity’s rail car division has laid off 450 workers in Longview, Texas, since January. The company said its “manufacturing capacity in Mexico continues to grow” and that it expects to produce between 40 and 50 percent of its rail cars in Mexico during 2009.
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners L.P. has purchased the assets of Megafleet Towing Company Inc., one of the largest independent barge operators in Texas, for approximately $18 million. Kinder Morgan announced the purchase May 21.
Included in the transaction are nine inland pushboats that will transport barges in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and in the Houston harbor complex. The company has been renamed Kinder Morgan Ship Channel Services, and it will also operate a fleeting area in the Houston Ship Channel adjacent to the company’s Port of Houston bulk terminal.
“Through this acquisition we are adding an experienced marine management team, approximately 70 employees and strong boat assets that will enable us to expand the services that we offer our terminal customers along the Houston Ship Channel,” said Jeff Armstrong, president of Kinder Morgan Terminals, in the announcement….
Golding Barge Line christened its eighth new towboat in four years—the second in six months—at Bayou la Batre, Ala., on April 11. The Vicksburg-based petroleum transporter christened its flagship Melody Golding, November 24 (see WJ January 12).
The new boat, built by DES Boat Works, is 86 by 32 by 10.5 feet and is named Lamar Golding. It is a conventional four-deck towboat that has 2,000 hp. from twin 3508 Caterpillar diesels supplied by Thompson Power Systems, Mobile.
“We have some great boats in our fleet, but the quality of construction on this boat is the best yet,” said Rusty Moore, Golding’s vice president-operations. “The (shipyard) owner, Daryl Steiner Jr., is a first class boatbuilder, like his father. He has assembled a crew of true craftsmen in every area of boatbuilding. Most of his employees are able to produce quality work at two or more trades, instead of just being a welder or a fitter.
“I can’t say enough good about these folks,” he said.
Hull framing utilizes nested plate frames and flange plates on 18-inch centers, instead of angles and brackets….
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