Weekly News Summary For October 19-25, 2009:
A proposed settlement between the city of Cincinnati and developer Queensgate Terminals could clear the way for construction to begin on a barge and container terminal that has been fought over for years, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Under the terms of the settlement, disclosed October 14 and presented by city solicitor John Curp to the city council the week before, the city would buy 21 acres of new riverfront property for the developer, at a location near the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice field. The site is upriver from the original contested location near the Price Hill neighborhood, whose leaders objected to the terminal, and closer to downtown.
David Martin, the Ohio soybean farmer who has been the driving force behind the barge terminal, told the Enquirer, “I’m pretty confident that even though we’ve had to change the site, it’s doable. “
He told The Waterways Journal the 21 acres would only be a first step in a “stair-stepping” process; more property would eventually be added. Queensgate Terminal will handle 20-foot and 40-foot containers, transferring them directly between barge and rail.…
Conrad Industries Inc. has won a contract to build two crane barges for Associated Terminals LLC that will serve as platforms for two new cranes. The cranes are Generation 5, HPK 6400 B floating cranes from Gottwald Port Technology GmbH of Düsseldorf, Germany.
This order brings to four the total number of Gottwald cranes ordered by Associated Terminals. The new crane will join AT’s existing fleet of 12 floating cranes.
“With our endless focus on not only meeting but exceeding our customers’ expectations, we are pleased to announce that we have decided to further increase our capacities and invest in additional equipment,” said Gary Poirrier, senior vice president at Associated Terminals. “We are absolutely convinced that Gottwald’s Generation 5 cranes provide exceptional technology and that this in turn will provide us with the competitive edge in our cargo handling business.”
Gary Lipely, director of marketing and sales for Conrad, said, “We’re excited about the opportunity to work with Associated.”…
Lock 24, Upper Mississippi River Mile 273.4, reopened at 4 p.m. October 14, some 37 hours after a machinery malfunction had trapped a tow in the chamber.
The mv. Jeffrey G of Alter Barge Line was locking upbound October 13 with six barges at 3 a.m. when the machinery closing one of the lower miter gate leafs failed. Prevented from backing out because of the broken gate, and from moving forward because the chamber was at the lower-pool level, the tow had to remain in the chamber.
By that afternoon, however, Corps crews were able to remove the parts of the failed machinery, and managed to close the gate manually with the assistance of a work boat. When they were satisfied that the downstream gate was properly secured, they filled the chamber, allowing the Jeffrey G to proceed northbound.
The St. Louis Engineer District initially planned to mobilize the large crane barge Sewell to the site to lift out the damaged machinery for repair. Preliminary estimates called for the lock to be out of service until at least the evening of October 15, because the Sewell had to be moved from St. Louis to the site….
Army Corps of Engineers officials are still unsure when the 1,200-foot main chamber of Markland Locks on the Ohio River at Mile 531.5 near Warsaw, Ky., might be reopened.
Corps spokesman Todd Hornback told The Waterways Journal that, barring unforeseen developments, one of the damaged miter gates would be removed for repairs on October 19. That gate was left hanging on its hinges when the other miter gate broke free and sank to the bottom on September 27.
It takes tows about three times as long to get through the 600-foot auxiliary chamber. Average delays have fluctuated from a few hours to as many as 19 hours.
The gates of the smaller chamber were inspected by divers on October 20, part of a series of regular inspections every two weeks until the main chamber reopens, according to the web site of the Louisville District of the Corps….
Many times when a company names a vessel in someone’s honor, it means he’s either pushing daisies or will soon be put out to pasture. Happily for Randy Baygents, neither of those conditions applies.
Very much alive and working as hard as ever, Baygents is the port engineer for Parker Towing Company based in Tuscaloosa, Ala. He recently turned 61, enjoys excellent health and has absolutely no plans to retire. “I’m just thankful for every day I’m able to get up and go to work,” he said. “I intend to work as long as I can.”
Parker Towing christened the mv. Randy Baygents in recognition of his ongoing career with the company September 18 at its dock on the Black Warrior River.
Baygents started his 43-year career on the river fresh out of high school. At 18, he started work as a deckhand on the mv. Alice Parker. In three years, he rose to the position of chief engineer on the mv. Lady Nica. After six years, he earned his pilot’s license and spent the next three years in the wheelhouse for Childress Towing. He rejoined Parker in 1975 as assistant port engineer….
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