Weekly News Summary For August 22-28, 2005:
Lower Ohio River traffic began moving slowly through the Mound City area again late August 15, following a complete shut down imposed following several groundings in the vicinity of Mile 974 the previous week. The problems began when the river dropped to nine feet on August 7, causing several groundings. By the next day, it had fallen to 7.5 feet.
As many as 45–50 tows were backed up on either side of the river closure before river levels rose to near the 10-foot level on August 15. Traffic was then allowed to move through the restricted channel on a case-by-case basis, according to Cmdr. Denise L. Matthews, commanding officer of Marine Safety Unit-Paducah.
Twenty-four hours after the channel reopened, there were still 30 southbound tows and 16 northbound tows waiting, she said. Because there were more southbound tows in queue, they were given priority through the daylight hours. Northbound traffic was expected to be brought up during the night because they were not expected to be as adversely effected by the current and draft conditions within the narrow channel, Matthews added.
The Luhr Bros. dredge Bill Holman arrived on scene August 14 and began scouring a new 300- by 3,900-foot channel passage adjacent to the existing channel, working around the clock as traffic passed within several yards of the cutterhead….
Navigation interests prevailed in the latest round of legal battles regarding the Missouri River management as the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers does not have to alter Missouri River management plans.
That opinion upheld an earlier decision by U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson in Minnesota, who ruled in favor of the Corps.
The court also declared that the 1944 Flood Control Act stipulates that flood control and navigation are the dominant uses of the river and recreation, fish and wildlife are secondary. Further, the ruling stated in a footnote, "If future circumstances arise in which Endangered Species Act compliance would force the Corps to abandon the dominant FCA purposes of flood control or downstream navigation, the Endangered Species Act would not apply."
The environmental interests were led by the collaborative organization American Rivers, which sought to implement a spring rise and lower summer flows, similar to the way the river flowed decades ago….
Held this year where "pardner" is an oft-heard word, the Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association celebrated its 100th anniversary, honoring its "pardners," the U. S. Corps of Engineers and U. S. Coast Guard, for their roles in the success of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The meeting was held in Victoria, Texas, on August 8–10, which is the same town and time the organization held its inaugural meeting a century ago.
One session and a seafood luncheon was dedicated to the Corps of Engineers while another session and a Texas barbecue was set aside for the Coast Guard, which was itself celebrating its 215th birthday. A third session featured a panel of experts discussing trends in the shallow-draft industry.
On the preceding day, GICA held a golf outing and its awards banquet. The day following featured a tour of the Port of Victoria.
In his president’s report, John McClelland Jr. of Mobile, Ala., Midstream Fuel Service, summed up the meeting, saying "This organization is strong. Membership is up, attendance is up and sponsorship is up." More than 300 people attended the meeting, which set a record for GICA.
"It’s all about partnership," said executive director Raymond Butler in explaining the success of the waterway, GICA and the meeting. "From the early days of this project, as one reads the correspondence and record of proceedings, it is readily apparent that its success has been due largely to the partnership forged between GICA, the Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard. The collaborative effort of this partnership has served the development and operation of the waterway throughout its history, and continues to flourish today."
He gave a full history of the waterway and the association, gleaned from a 42-page pamphlet he compiled with the help of his daughter, who spent many hours at Tulane University and the Port of New Orleans researching the subject.
"The more I read, the more I was struck by the enormous impact of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the many obstacles that had to be overcome in order to complete the project," he said….
The Port of Houston Authority celebrated the completion of the wider and deeper Houston Ship Channel on August 18 by hosting a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony. The ribbon cutting ceremony was held aboard the mv. Bayou City with the rest of the festivities held at Barbours Cut Cruise Terminal.
The widening and deepening of the channel was done to improve safety with the increasing vessel size. The project widened the channel from 400 to 530 feet and deepened it from 40 to 45 feet. Also, the project created barge lanes, which allow tows to transit the area much more safely than in prior years. The lanes are on each side of the main channel from Galveston to Morgan’s Point.
Matt Woodruff, government affairs, Kirby Corporation, said the project is pivotal for the industry because it gives them greater access and improved safety, which should in turn, increase business for industry.
"It is an important day for the entire barge industry," he said. "The widening and deepening, as well as the barge lanes, now means there is no risk of collision with the bigger ships. This (barge lanes) is really the feature of the project. It was also added to the project. The congressional delegation really jumped in when they realized how needed and valued the barge lanes would be."…
Owensboro (Ky.) Riverport has announced the former Green River Steel property has been formally renamed the Whaylon D. Coleman Sr. Terminal. The terminal is at Mile 769 on the Ohio River.
The port’s board of directors voted to rename the former steel mill property in honor of Coleman, who has served on the board since 1975. He was originally appointed to the board by then-Mayor Waitman Taylor Jr., and reappointed most recently by current Mayor Thomas H. Watson last September.
"I appreciated the appointment and confidence shown in me by former Mayor Waitman Taylor," Coleman said. "Waitman had the foresight and vision to see the potential value of a public riverport for this community. My term on the board has been most enjoyable. It is a tremendous board to work with—a group of individuals with diversified backgrounds working together for the common good of the community."
Owensboro Riverport Chairman Max Rhoads said, "Mr. Coleman has been a tremendous asset to the riverport and the community. It is our honor to recognize Whaylon in this manner. It is an honor truly deserved by a humble and dignified individual."
Coleman is a retired educator from the Owensboro Public Schools, serving 32 years, including 19 as the assistant principal at Owensboro High School….
The Indiana Port Commission last week named Rich Cooper executive director of the Ports of Indiana. Cooper has served as the organization’s chief operating officer since 2001.
Prior to joining the Ports of Indiana, Cooper was the global director of manufacturing and engineering for Agribrands International, a $1.2 billion international producer of Purina commercial animal feeds. He oversaw 60 plant operations in 16 countries on four continents. Previously, Cooper spent 30 years with Continental Grain Company, a $4 billion international grain business, where he oversaw operations in the United State and China and opened the company’s first commercial feed mill in China….
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