Weekly News Summary For August 14-20, 2006:
Wilson Lock Heavily Damaged In Accident
The Nashville Engineer District is currently awaiting the arrival of the heavy lift derrick barge Henry Shreve to remove the upper lift gate at Wilson Lock, Tennessee River Mile 259.4, Florence, Ala., that was damaged August 3 when one of the two barges in the mv. Potomac’s tow carrying highly topic/flammable chemical xylene became lodged under the upper gate.
The mv. Potomac is owned and operated by Maryland Marine Inc. of Houston, Texas. The tow was traveling upriver at 5:30 a.m. when the incident occurred.
The Coast Guard closed the portion of the Tennessee River around Wilson Dam to all boat traffic and established a safety zone. The river has since been reopened.
The Henry Shreve departed Louisville on August 10 and it is anticipated to arrive on August 14. The Corps anticipates that they should be able to get the gate out of the chamber by August 16. Repairs are estimated to last at least six weeks, but Mike Ensch, chief, operations division for the Nashville Engineer District, admits that the six-week time frame is more than optimistic.
On August 5 it was determined that the barges were safe to remove from the lock and they were moved into the canal for inspection. One barge was damaged in the incident, but was found not to be leaking any of the hazardous material following the incident. After some repairs, the barges were removed from the area. During the removal of the barges, the auxiliary lock was closed until the Coast Guard determined that the barge was structurally sound. Ensch said he estimated that the auxiliary chamber was back in operation sometime on the evening of August 6….
More than 150 industry representatives attended Industry Day, an outreach presentation of the Coast Guard in Morgan City, La., last month.
Richard Wells, the assistant director of the New Orleans Regional Examination Center (REC)—now called New Orleans North because it is situated in Memphis—explained to participants the current regulations for receiving a mariners’ document and also told the group that the REC was returning to New Orleans on August 9.
Ens. Chris Mercurio from the Eighth Coast Guard District office outlined the new requirement that companies test mariners within two hours of a serious marine incident, and the need to carry testing equipment on board vessels.
The Marine Safety Unit (MSU) in Morgan City received the 2005 Commander Jim Simpson Award for excellence in public affairs and outreach programs, said Captain of the Port (COTP) Terry D. Gilbreath.
“A big part of my job is to get out with industry and hear their concerns,” Capt. Gilbreath said in a wide-ranging interview with The Waterways Journal. He said he and his staff frequently are invited to attend company training sessions where they answer individual questions of mariners….
New restrictions for vessels as a hurricane approaches have been issued by the Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) in Sector New Orleans. The rules will restrict where vessels seeking a safe harbor can duck out of the weather.
Lt. Hector Cintron, who serves as Sector New Orleans’ “hurricane officer” in addition to his logistics duties, outlined some of the changes to The Waterways Journal. Hurricane rules are administered by the Waterways section.
As hurricanes approach, no vessels or barges are permitted to seek safe haven:
- below Mile 72 Above Head of Passes (AHP) on the Lower Mississippi River;
- in the Inner Harbor Navigation (Industrial) Canal from the Turning Basin south to the Industrial Canal Locks; or
- in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW).
In addition, self-propelled oceangoing vessels above 500 gross tons, as well as all oceangoing barges and supporting tugs, will have to get permission from the COTP to remain in port after submitting a written request….
A traditional multi-vessel christening ceremony took on a distinctive flair at Metropolis, Ill., July 15 as TECO Barge Line welcomed and blessed two of the three boats in absentia. All three sponsors were present, however, to smash a bottle of champagne over a set of timberheads strategically placed on the company’s landing barge in front of the guests and attendees.
The Brenda Koestler (former Kaskaskia) and Marlene Ellis (former Electra) were working too far from TECO’s river operations headquarters to be brought in to the landing for the ceremony, but the Eva Walker (former Ms. T) was dockside and available for tours following the ceremony. The boats were among 11 vessels renamed by TECO in recent months, resulting in half of the company’s fleet sporting new names. The renamings follow a TECO equipment realignment program that during the past year has resulted in the sale of at least two boats and rumors of future sales.
The boats renamed and christened in Metropolis were named in honor of the wives of key TECO office or boat personnel.
Brenda Koestler is married to Capt. Charles Koestler, master of the Paula G, one of the boats renamed in Tampa. They live in Vicksburg, Miss., and are parents of two grown children and a 15-year-old son. She works as a coding analyst for River Region Medical Corporation.
Eva Walker is assistant Calloway County (Ky.) attorney and lives in Paducah, Ky., with husband Tim Walker, director of transportation for TECO Marine Services.
“It’s an honor to have the Ms. T now carry my name,” she said. “It is a wonderful gift to our family from our friends at TECO.”
Marlene Ellis is married to Glen Ellis, chief engineer on TECO’s Paula G (former Diane Oak). The Brookport, Ill., couple has been married 21 years, during which Marlene has been what she calls a “stay at home mom.” She said, “I’m so excited about the renaming of the boat. I feel very privileged to have been chosen for such an honor.”…
A diver’s survey of the Calumet River approximately 150 feet south of the 106th Street on July 20 discovered that there are six steel reinforced concrete blocks weighing up to 55 tons on the river bottom at a depth of -26.5 feet near the left descending bank.
Jeff Zuercher, dredging coordinator for the Chicago Engineer District, said a ship that passed through earlier in the year alerted them to a possible obstruction.
“A ship felt it hit something when it passed through,” he said. “We did a sonar scan and found some of the debris. The ship itself had some significant damage.”
Zuercher said they had the diver’s survey to get a better picture of what was underwater.
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