Weekly News Summary For August 18 - August 24, 2008:
Salvage crews from Bisso Marine raised the barge DM 932 last week from the Mississippi River after cutting it in half and making two lifts. The twisted bow section and mid-ship section was lifted on August 9, while the relatively intact stern was lifted the next morning.
The barge had been held in position at the base of the Crescent City Connection in New Orleans since the collision between the tanker Tintomara and the barge being pushed stern first by the Mel Oliver in the pre-dawn hours of July 23.
More oil escaped from the bow section of the barge as it was lifted, forcing officials to close and boom entrances to the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal and the Algiers Lock while skimmers worked to corral the heavy No. 6 fuel oil.
Alerts from Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) in New Orleans warned downriver marine interests that there may be an additional release of oil during the salvage operation and warned vessels to move to avoid being fouled.
Capt. Lincoln Stroh, commander of Sector New Orleans and the Captain of the Port (COTP), issued Marine Safety Bulletins and at various times closed the river in the vicinity of the salvage operation during the barge cutting and lifting, and during some clean-up.
As the oil slick initially moved downriver, Capt. Stroh progressively closed the entire Mississippi River from Mile 98.5 AHP to the Sea Buoy at Mile -22 BHP.
Mariners are still being asked to travel at a minimum safe speed to protect cleanup workers and prevent any more contamination. As of press time, the safety zone extended from Mile 97 to Mile 60….
On July 30, MRH Holdings LLC announced that it has partnered with Arcapita Bank B.S.C., an international investment firm backed by Gulf Arab investors, to build a transportation company by a strategy of acquisitions up to $1.5 billion.
MRH Holdings LLC is headed by Mark R. Holden, who as president and chief executive officer helped guide barge company American Commercial Lines Inc. to a turnaround and initial stock offering.
During his tenure from 2005 to 2007, ACL was recognized as a top IPO by Forbes magazine, and as one of the 25 best performing stocks during 2006 by the Wall Street Journal. Holden also served on ACL’s board of directors.
Before joining ACL, Holden held various management positions at Wabash National Corporation, a $1 billion truck manufacturer, serving as chief executive officer and chief financial officer and on the board of directors….
Two groundings of a 15-barge tow at Mile 257.1 of the Mississippi River caused the Coast Guard to close the river near Hamburg, Ill., the Army Corps of Engineers said in a press release. Hamburg is located roughly halfway between St. Louis and Hannibal, Mo.
The tow was being operated by Marquette Marine and was being pushed by the mv. Bruce L. Hahn, according to Chief Warrant Officer Gale Howerton of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Eighth District. The Bruce L. Hahn is a twin-screw boat with two 750 hp. engines. It was built in 1981 by Bayou Shipyard.
The tow first grounded at about 10 a.m. on August 12. The tow was broken up and the barges refloated individually, then the tow was re-formed.
The same tow grounded again at Mile 223.6 at 0500 on August 14.
The Corps said it was preparing its dustpan dredge Potter, to get underway to remove sediment deposits that have obstructed navigation. The Potter was originally intended to begin work in late August, but is now expected to leave its berth at the St. Louis District’s Service Base as early as Friday, August 16….
Raymond Butler surely has the right to be tired.
He admits, “This has been the most active year I recall” for the Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association (GICA), of which he is executive director.
Butler is in the middle of what must be one of the busiest years of his busy life, dealing with challenges to the Mississippi River and Gulf waterways that seem to cascade on top of each other.
The year’s activities brought home that the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) is part of a vast system, each part of which is affected by every other part. And as it changes, it requires constant monitoring and maintenance.
But Butler didn’t sound tired when he discussed his recent activities with The Waterways Journal. Instead, he sounded energized.
As always, Butler constantly highlights the contributions of others, without which his own work could not take place.
There’s no question that vast numbers of people and many organizations have to come together to maintain a complex waterway system like the GIWW.
But because Butler is usually at the center of the action, and serves as the “voice” of the GIWW as much as anyone else, a calendar of his year to date is as good a way as any to bring into focus the state of this vital waterway….
Approximately 30 tows per day are expected to use the Baptiste Collette and Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MR-GO) alternate route during the 60-day closure of the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Lock by the Corps of Engineers for scheduled repair work.
The Lock was closed on August 11.
While the alternate use will be “self-regulated,” the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) in New Orleans will be “standing by to assist mariners unfamiliar with the waterways on Channel 12 and 67 VHF and via telephone,” said an e-mail from Lt.(jg) Roderick Walker II of Coast Guard Sector New Orleans, Waterways Management Division.
The phone number for Waterways Management is 504, 565-5108. VTS can be reached at 504, 589-2780 or 504, 589-2812.
Mariners on the Mississippi River should expect congestion at the Algiers Canal Lock forebay at Mile 88 AHP, Walker said….
“This is the newest shipyard on the inland waterways and the nicest facility in our company,” Ronnie James said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at James Marine’s new Wickliffe, Ky. facility August 1. The newly opened marine service began operating in June with a 2,500-ton and a 3,000-ton drydock, along with a complete machine shop. The location is immediately downstream of the Economy Boat facility within sight of the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
The new yard is the result of more than two years of planning and development which began with a search for a location, James said. Speaking of the site—formerly operated by Traylor Brothers Construction Company as a fabrication and staging facility for major bridge components—he said, “We were very fortunate to find this site, which could not be more suited for our operation.”
He went on to say the site has quick access to fleeting and harbor operations in the Cairo area and also has room for expansion with more than 2,300 feet of river frontage with ample water depths in all river conditions. “We’ll always be able to sink our drydocks and service our customers,” he said….
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