Weekly News Summary For August 28–September 3, 2006:
TWIC Rule Won’t Include Card Readers
The American Waterways Operators (AWO) reports that the forthcoming Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) regulations will not include a requirement for card readers.
AWO said the Department of Homeland Security decided to eliminate the card readers during the first phase of the TWIC implementation after receiving numerous comments in opposition about readers that have not been tested in the maritime environment and that would impose nearly $50 million in new costs on the tug, towboat and barge industry alone.
Meanwhile, the Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard will go ahead with the rulemaking, including the required background checks and distribution of TWIC cards by the end of the year. This despite a report by the Homeland Security inspector general that security weaknesses in the TWIC prototype threaten the confidentially, integrity and availability of sensitive TWIC data. To solve those problems, the inspector general recommended the establishment of a formal security oversight and management structure for the entire TWIC program….
The Coast Guard’s Regional Exam Center (REC) in New Orleans reopened 11 months after storm surge flood waters from Hurricane Katrina shut down the building and destroyed many of the records.
“We are happy to announce that the REC was able to open for full operation on Wednesday, 9 August as planned,” said Richard E Wells, acting chief of the REC. Wells and the New Orleans REC had moved to Memphis and were dubbed New Orleans (North). Mariners’ records were shipped to Memphis, Houston, and other locations.
“The REC operation has changed from the way we operated before Hurricane Katrina,” he said in an e-mail. “The New Orleans REC no longer evaluates applications for mariner credentials. All applications received will be forwarded for the mariner to a new centralized credential application and issuance center. The REC will evaluate applications for completeness and will not accept any incomplete applications.”…
A final Coast Guard report recommended fines against the captain and boat’s owner for the May 2002 allision in which the towboat Robert Y. Love knocked down a 500-foot section of the I-40 bridge at Webber Falls on the Arkansas River, killing 14 people and injuring five.
A fine of $20,000 against boat owner Magnolia Marine and $5,000 against boat Capt. Joe Dedmon was recommended by the Coast Guard, according to KOTV-TV in Tulsa, Okla., and quoted on a Coast Guard Web site.
Capt. Dedmon lost consciousness and the boat with its two empty barges smashed into a pier of the Webber Falls bridge, 201 feet outside of the channel, causing eight cars and three tractor trailers to plunge into the water below.
The report said the fine was leveled against the company for allowing the captain to work more than 12 hours in one day without adequate rest, and against the captain for working without enough rest.
An estimated 20,000 vehicles a day had to be rerouted around the bridge. Construction crews reopened the bridge in record time two months later….
The Mississippi River Commission low-water inspection trip stopped in Alton, Ill., on August 18 to report about recent projects and hear from the public regarding pressing issues.
Those navigational interests in attendance addressed the MRC about a variety of topics, including the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), reliability of the Missouri and Mississippi and skepticism about environmental projects and policies relating to the Missouri River.
Lynn Muench, with the American Waterways Operators, stated that she had a number of topics to address the MRC, especially river reliability.
“I’d like to talk to you today about four things facing our industry: reinstating navigational reliability on the Missouri River while protecting reliability on the Mississippi River, industry’s request for the Corps to work with us to modernize the Mississippi River transportation infrastructure, customer service concerns of the towing industry and Waterways Action Plan.”
With the St. Louis gauge consistently reading negative numbers, recent history, in 2002 and 2003, when the Mississippi River was shut down in St. Louis, is in the minds of many. Not only has the Missouri River become unreliable, but also the Mississippi River could be the latest waterway to be affected, once Missouri River flows are further reduced this fall.
“This year, the Missouri River has effectively been closed down since July 2,” she said. “Every boat that has left the river has proceeded directly to a shipyard to repair the damage caused by a river that is not providing the promised eight-foot channel as stated in the master manual.”
Further, Muench stated that the Northwestern Division did not hit for over a month the flow targets it is directed to hit by the master manual, has allowed at least 5 percent of all dikes to become insufficient… did not and does not have dredging contracts for a dredging plan during extreme low water, as promised by the division for years and lastly, has unreliable channel recognizance….
“I had a heck of a time getting started,” noted Memco Barge Line President Mark Knoy as he prefaced his opening remarks at the July 25 dedication of a veteran towboat being renamed in honor of his retiring executive assistant with whom he had worked very closely for many years. “I couldn’t find my notes,” he quipped in reference to his appreciation for her organizational skills and her ability to keep track of his many responsibilities and busy itinerary.
Knoy was referring to Susie Cooney, a 15-year company veteran who began as a “temp” on assignment from Manpower, a large temporary personnel placement agency.
“And now two presidents, three owners and three office moves later, here we are, and Susie has persevered through it all,” he remarked. “I met Susie over the phone shortly after her arrival when I called to chat with her boss (Chris Parsonage). She was always cheerful and you could feel her energy over the phone,” he said, adding that he still hears compliments from his industry peers with whom she dealt on a daily basis.
Knoy said he joined Memco three years later and, “worked with Susie as she supported the president’s office and I was a member of his staff.” He is now president and Susie has continued to work as executive assistant to the president.
“As you can imagine, we’ve been through a lot over the years, and during some periods of time, I’ve seen Susie more than I have my family,” he said. “And I’ve truly appreciated her dedication and support through all those years.”…
Houston Fleet LLC, Channelview, Texas, a subsidiary of American Commercial Lines Inc. (ACL), recently completed a new 6,400-square-foot office and warehouse building, and promptly used it to host the christening of the ACL towboat Warren E. Bourgeois.
The Houston Fleet office has 12 full-time ACL employees as well as storage space for barge and boat equipment and parts. The new building and refurbished boat are part of an effort to improve operations and crew comfort in the Gulf region.
“We are trying to make a statement in the Gulf Coast,” said Norb Whitlock, recently named executive vice president-governmental affairs. Nationally, ACL plans to reinvest $90 million into company assets in 2006.
The ceremony was well-attended by local members of the industry as well as ACL customers. Special guests involved in the ceremony included Coast Guard Cmdr. Jerry Torok and Sister Joy Manthey of Ministry on the River.
The 80- by 30-foot Warren E. Bourgeois was built in 1974 by Grafton Boat Company. More than $1 million was spent on the refurbishment. ACL supervised the project while National Maintenance & Repair provided the labor for most of the major work including steel repair. The vessel is the fourth boat to be repaired this year, “and we are getting better every time,” said Butch Barras, vice president-maintenance….
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