Weekly News Summary For July 28 - August 3, 2008:
The U.S. Coast Guard closed a 58-mile stretch of the Lower Mississippi River between Miles 98 and 40, near Port Sulphur, La., after a collision at about 1:30 a.m., July 23, between a 600-foot-long Liberian-flagged oil tanker and a barge being towed by the towing vessel Mel Oliver.
The barge, designated DM 932, was being towed by DRD Towing Company LLC of Harvey, La., barge owner American Commercial Lines Inc. said in a press release. No injuries were reported.
The Coast Guard confirmed to The Waterways Journal that an apprentice mate was in charge of the Mel Oliver’s bridge at the time of the collision, without a licensed master to supervise him as required by law.
A Coast Guard spokesperson said it could be days before the river reopens. About 80 vessels were waiting to pass through the closed zone as of July 24—25 downbound, 35 upbound (held at Southwest Pass), 21 at Algiers Lock and nine in the Industrial Canal. This includes shallow-draft vessels, since only shallow-draft traffic can move through Algiers.
Chris Bonura, a spokesman for the Port of New Orleans, said the shutdown will cost the port $100,000 per day, not counting losses to stevedoring companies and terminal operators. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Mike O’Berry said some limited traffic might move within “days,” but that the total cleanup would take weeks….
There are major challenges facing towboat operators, including finding and retaining crew personnel, the cost of new boats and barges, and an increasingly complex and costly regulatory environment. None is more challenging than the recent run-up in marine diesel fuel costs, over which operators have virtually no control.
While truckers protest, consumers complain and airlines plead for understanding, the barge and towing industry appears to be doing its best to deal with a very difficult cost issue, coming on the heels of an extended shutdown of the Upper Mississippi River due to recent flooding.
Tom Allegretti, president of The American Waterways Operators, a national trade association based in suburban Washington, D.C., is aware of much higher fuel costs incurred by association members, but indicates, “We haven’t heard much from the membership for any initiatives by AWO as an association to address the fuel issue. But we know it presents a challenge for our members.”
Larry Daily, president of Alter Barge Line in Davenport, Iowa, sees today’s vessel operating environment as much more difficult than five years ago. With towboat fuel now costing $4.50 per gallon or more, the old ways of doing business don’t work very well. In addition to the base cost of fuel, vessel operators are required to pay 20 cents per gallon to the federal government to be used for construction and major maintenance on the inland waterways. Depending on location, they also must pay state and local sales taxes….
Partly because tows are getting larger, and partly because a dam increases velocity by funneling the water though the reduced opening, Capt. Lincoln Stroh, commander of the Coast Guard’s Sector New Orleans, determined the proposed 150-foot opening on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) floodgate East of New Orleans would be a hazard to navigation.
Capt. Stroh expressed his concerns to the Corps of Engineers, which is proposing a 150-foot-wide opening for a lock structure for the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (IHNC) Hurricane Protection Project near Mile 16 East of the Harvey Locks.
“Based on allision data for similar-sized bridge openings, as well as the size of the new bridge designs currently being approved by the Coast Guard, the proposed 150-foot-wide navigational structure will not be wide enough to ensure safe navigation for the tows that utilize the GIWW on a daily basis,” Capt. Stroh wrote on July 15, in a memorandum to Col. J.A. Bedley of the Corps’ Hurricane Protection Office.
“At this width, the structure will be subject to increased risk of allisions,” he continued. “This could lead to inoperative flood gates as hurricanes approach. Allisions could also lead to waterway closures necessary for responding to damaged/sunken vessels and spilled cargoes into the waterway.”
“In that simulation modeling is part of this project and can change the design parameters, I urge you to consider larger openings in your modeling—at minimum, a 225-foot opening for the northern gate,” Capt. Stroh wrote. “A larger opening reduces current flow and provides for safer navigation.”…
“This boat is a tribute to you…. the AEP Mariner,” proclaimed Mark Knoy, president of AEP River Operations, during christening ceremony activities welcoming the first of 10 new 6,000 hp. towboats ordered in a record-breaking multiple-boat series. “It’s the AEP family of river men and women that we honor today as we stand here on the head deck of the most sophisticated towboat ever built for the inland waterways, the AEP Mariner,” he said during the June 27 christening at the Paducah, Ky., riverfront.
The christening came more than a year and a half after the announcement of the contract as AEP River Operations formally welcomed the first of the newly designed vessels into its growing fleet.
“It’s a symbol of our promising future, of the dreams we can build together. It’s a symbol of what we can accomplish with a little sweat, steel and pride,” he continued. More boats like the AEP Mariner will be coming into the AEP River Operations fleet, he said, with nearly four dozen premier boats planned over the next five years.
“We’re building a top-notch fleet, updating existing vessels and bringing new state-of-the-art boats and barges on board. And that’s just one way we’re growing and getting better every day. We’re also growing our customer base as we expand into the liquids business, and we’ll continue to grow through strategic moves that complement our company vision.”
Knoy said as the company’s business grows, so does the quality of its human assets, with renewed energy around employee training, while also developing leaders at all levels…
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