Weekly News Summary For May 31 - June 6, 2010:
As the oil spill off the Louisiana coast continues to belch crude oil and natural gas more than a month after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and sank, local, state and some federal officials are becoming increasingly impatient with the response of BP officials.
NOAA said more than 65 miles of Louisiana coastline were affected by oil by May 24, more than the total sea coastline of Delaware and Maryland combined, according to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
By May 26, Jindal said the impacted coastline had increased to 100 miles.
BP said it was planning a “top-kill” process on May 26 to shut off the crude that was continuing to billow into the Gulf of Mexico. The complicated process, which has never been tried before at a depth of 5,000 feet, involves pumping heavy drilling mud into the damaged pipe and following it with cement to seal off the well.
The success of the top-kill operation will not be known until Thursday evening, after deadline, but early reports were cautiously optimistic….
The Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC) closed a second fish kill and sampling operation on a two-mile stretch of the Little Calumet River in south Chicago on May 25, reporting that it had found no Asian carp among 100,000 pounds of fish killed and collected.
No bighead or silver Asian carp were found among the 40 species collected. Participating agencies included the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The closure and fish kill were conducted because carp DNA has been found in waters beyond the electric fish barriers and close to Lake Michigan. But no actual carp have yet been found beyond the barriers.
Thomas Allegretti, president and chief operating executive of The American Waterways Operators Inc., said, “The results of this failed attempt, along with extensive fishing in the areas since November to find a live Asian carp near Lake Michigan, certainly suggests that the confidence the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has in the effectiveness of the electric barriers is well placed. When the planned third electric barrier comes on line, it will only reinforce the protection of our precious Great Lakes.”
Jim Farrell, executive director of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce’s Infrastructure Council, told the Associated Press that the fish kill results showed that Asian carp have not breached the electric barrier.
Only weeks following the reopening of an upriver lock previously closed due to a failing lock gate, Ohio River barge operators again experienced delays following the emergency closure of the main chamber at John T. Myers Lock and Dam on May 17. The 1,200-foot lock at Ohio River Mile 846 was shut down for 10 days after a crack was discovered in an anchor arm on the lower landward lock gate in the riverside chamber.
The damaged arm at John T. Myers Lock and Dam was cracked in the same location as the one that failed recently at Greenup Locks and Dam (WJ, February 8). As did the closure at Greenup, the latest shutdown required many tows to double-lock in the adjoining 600-foot chamber.
Lockmaster Bobby Buckman said the crack was discovered during an inspection routine ordered by Corps officials following recent failures upstream. He said a magnetic particle testing procedure detected a small crack the week prior to the closure, and further examination revealed the fracture to be more significant than first thought. “This outage is a result of that finding,” he said.
He went on to say there was never any immediate danger of a colossal failure with the gate becoming dislodged nor was there a danger to any towboats transiting the lock. The decision to suspend locking was to ensure the stability of the structure and the safety of tows utilizing the facility, he explained.
The Corps has also inspected the gates at Smithland Locks and Dam, which has two 1,200-foot chambers, located 73 miles downstream, but no damage has been detected, he added….
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued its outlook for the 2010 hurricane season May 27, and if the predictions hold true, it will be a busy year.
NOAA projects a 70 percent probability of the following ranges across the entire Atlantic Basin: 14–23 named storms, including eight to 14 hurricanes, of which three to seven could be major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5).
The seasonal average is 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes, NOAA said….
When Donald A. Grimm started with Campbell Barge Line in 1975, he never imagined he’d be looking at his name on the side of a boat. Thirty-five years later, after a stellar career concluding with his last 10 years as president, Campbell Transportation Company (CTC) christened the mv. D.A. Grimm in his honor. The boat was built in 1958 by St. Louis Shipbuilding & Steel Company and acquired by Campbell in 1985, operating as the Richard C. It was one of the older boats in the fleet and was due for a rebuild, so Charles Minton, president, recommended a total repower and renovation to honor his predecessor and mentor at Campbell.
The boat was christened on May 13 near Pittsburgh’s famous Point where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers meet to form the Ohio River. Grimm’s daughter Victoria, a sophomore at Allegheny College in Meadville, made it official with the breaking of the bottle on the capstain.
“This isn’t something I take for granted because of my years here or position,” said Grimm. “I think this is an extreme honor to have my name on a Campbell Transportation towboat.”
Now the vessel can certainly live up to its new name and honor Grimm’s reputation in the industry. Taking thousands of man hours and nearly nine months to complete, the D.A. Grimm has been completely repowered and renovated and measures 120 by 27 by nine feet with an admeasurement of 347 gross tons. The most significant improvement on the vessel was the replacement of the existing 1,200 hp. engines with a pair of 12-cylinder CAT 3500 Series IICs, bringing the total horsepower up to 2,600.
Following the complete refurbishment, the vessel is equipped with 80- by 75-inch four-blade inboard-turning propellers. Two Twin Disc MG-540 reduction gears operate at a 3.171:1 ratio. The rudder system includes four flanking and two steering rudders. Two Nabrico 40-ton deck winches have been added as well.
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