Weekly News Summary For May 29-June 4, 2006:
LMR Port Authorities Join Forces For Security
The Lower Mississippi River Port-Wide Strategic Security Council (LMRPWSSC) is being created by the five southernmost port authorities on the Mississippi River in an effort to “bring different people together to contribute to the regional security approach.”
With the sixth round of federal security funding looming, the five port authorities—Greater Baton Rouge, South Louisiana, New Orleans, St. Bernard and Plaquemines—are working to form a public/private partnership to determine the needs and available assets of industry and public entities, said Edward “Ned” Peak, executive director of the Millennium Port Authority, a Louisiana think tank.
Peak, a retired Coast Guard officer, is also a representative of the Ports Association of Louisiana Security Committee.
The regional approach pools assets of port authorities and private industry, giving the region more “bang for the buck” in security grant funding, he said.
“To reach and threaten private facilities along the Mississippi River, terrorists have to cross public rights of way, roads or rivers,” Peak explained. “Public authorities have a duty to help protect private entities within the concept of layered security up to the property line,” he said of the security plan to deter, detect and respond to terrorist threats.
“If private industry goes down, everything goes down,” he said, citing jobs, commodities that are produced and the tax base. The national importance of the area was clearly demonstrated following the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, when 20 percent of the nation’s energy production was adversely affected and gasoline prices rose dramatically.
Along the Lower Mississippi River (LMR) the PWSSC being created will be the largest public/private partnership in the world, he said. Eighty-five percent of the critical infrastructure is privately owned….
A study to evaluate the potential fish mortality due to towboat propellers is currently underway on the Upper Mississippi River.
The two-year study was prompted by concerns by several resource agencies that an increase in navigation on the Upper Mississippi River would lead to an increased number of fish being killed.
Tests are being performed in Pool 26, with tests planned in Pool 14 and different stretches of the Illinois River. The mv. American Beauty, part of the American River Transportation Company (ARTCO) fleet, was contracted to perform the work in cooperation with the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), affiliated with the Corps of Engineers, located in Vicksburg. Jack Killgore, a research fishery biologist, said the project required a 3,600 hp. towboat with kort nozzles that was operating with a full tow.
“The Corps determined the most direct way to determine if more fish were being killed due to increased river traffic was by placing a net from the stern of the towboat that only filters the propeller wash,” Killgore said.
Killgore said his organization worked in unison with other partners in the project to design and build a net that would withstand the forces of propeller wash….
The first state-of-the-art “Full Mission Towboat Simulator” in Louisiana was dedicated May 18 at the Delgado Community College Maritime, Fire, Radar & Industrial Training annex in Mandeville, La.
“The Delgado simulator configuration includes a wheelhouse layout that is an exact replica of a modern towboat wheelhouse,” said Rick Schwab, project manager for Delgado’s maritime, fire and radar programs. “It provides real-life characteristics for towboat proficiency training for both new and experienced captains in the industry.”
Delgado’s two-station Full Ship Simulator, located at what was the main campus at City Park in New Orleans, was flooded and destroyed during Hurricane Katrina, the first time the Lakeview part of the city suffered widespread storm damage.
The new simulator has a towboat with a 2,400 hp. rating and a tow up to six barges. A tow of up to 30 barges will be available when a larger towboat is added, said George Grubber, one of Delgado’s instructors.
“After Hurricane Katrina, our business partners reached out and supported Delgado with extraordinary resources, allowing the Delgado Maritime, Fire & Industrial Training Facility to restart training just two weeks after this disaster,” Schwab said.
Delgado’s simulator is equipped with a Transas NaviTrainer professional product with state-of-the-art capabilities for advanced towing and barge interaction to train inland waterway wheelhouse personnel, Schwab explained….
The country’s largest liquid barge fleet expanded its long history of training May 18 with the dedication of the Kirby Logistics Management In-Plant Operator training center and a new training barge, the Kirby 101B.
The In-Plant Operator training center will teach the basics of dock operations, rail car/tank truck loading and unloading in addition to vapor recovery systems during a five-day class. Students will learn to clear lines with a “pig” and be exposed to regulatory requirements mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Students will also be taught the safe procedures for lockout-tagout, API tank gauging and sampling methods, confined space entry, reading decals on trucks, and the many types of valves on rail tank cars.
Kirby Logistics Management has approximately 150 shore tankermen, 150 in-plant operators and 25 fire technicians working throughout the Gulf Coast and mid-continent region.
Located in Channelview, Texas, the facility is across a bayou from Kirby’s extensive boat and barge training facility, which can house and feed up to 70 students at one time….
Probably no other inland river port can claim the distinction of hosting four popular river industry events in one weekend, but on May 18–20, the Port of Paducah was the site for a plethora of traditional marine industry gatherings. They included an annual barbecue luncheon for retirees; a fully packed golf tournament followed by a popular fish fry; and an annual Maritime Day observation and celebration, capped off with an ever popular annual crawfish boil where hundreds of hungry river employees and associates gathered to consume thousands of pounds of Louisiana “mud bugs.”
Festivities began May 18 as almost 50 members of the Association of Retired Marine Personnel gathered at Shultz Park overlooking the river, where barbeque chefs Don Salsbury and Ralf Baker prepared taste-bud-tempting ribs, pork and ham from Baker’s custom built cooker. This was the first year for the annual event to take place along the river instead of the former park site several miles from the river. Capt. Bob Nally, association president, said he was glad to see the event moved to the park overlooking the river, where members reminisced about their river careers as they watched passing traffic and recalled each boat’s history.
“I only wish more folks would make the effort to be with us,’ he lamented.
The next day, 276 golfers gathered for the fully booked golf tournament at the Rolling Hills Country Club, where players traversed the 18 holes between light rain showers with the first round tee-off at 7 a.m. Second round players returned as late as 6 p.m. as the popular fish fry was in full swing.
Event coordinator Mitzi Mason said more than 500 people attended the fish fry, topping last year’s turnout….
The Port of Huntington Tri-State observed National Maritime Day with an impressive weekend towing industry display May 20 and 21, followed by a National Maritime Recognition Day Ceremony on the morning of May 22, all at the Harris Riverfront Park in Huntington.
The industry display featured the AEP/Memco towboat Capt. John Reynolds, the Ingram Barge Company towboat Vernon C. Smith, and the Madison Coal & Supply Company sternwheeler Lady Lois. A covered barge provided by R&D Associates, Catlettsburg, Ky., served as a centerpiece and housed displays provided by the Huntington Engineer District, Rahall Transportation Institute, Marshall Inland Waterways Academy, Marathon Petroleum Company, Friends of Coal and the Sons & Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen. A large number of the general public were able to tour the Capt. John Reynolds and Vernon C. Smith, interacting with crewmembers and learning about river transportation and life aboard.
Line-handling demonstrations were popular with the public, especially with the children. Some $1,200 worth of door prizes were given away in drawings, and informational materials were handed out. The Corps’ working model of the Winfield Locks drew a constant crowd, and displays depicting the Marmet Lock replacement and Greenup Lock extension project were prominently displayed in such a fashion that anyone viewing would go away with a better understanding of the navigation system as a whole, the importance to the Tri-State area, and in particular the need for these projects….
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