Weekly News Summary for November 26-December 2, 2007:
The Corps of Engineers posted on the Internet its Integrated Final Report to Congress and Legislative Environmental Impact Statement for the Mississippi-River Gulf Outlet Deep-Draft De-authorization (MR-GO-3D) Study on November 16.
A notice of availability appeared in the Federal Register, also on November 16, announcing the beginning of a 30-day comment period. Concurrently, the Corps will conduct a 30-day state and agency review period, it said in a press release. Comments received during the 30-day period will be taken into consideration by the Corps, it added.
The final report to Congress is on schedule for delivery to the assistant secretary of the Army-civil works in December 2007….
Gary P. LaGrange, president and chief executive officer of the Port of New Orleans, was named chairman of the National Waterways Conference during the organization’s annual meeting in Mobile, Ala., earlier this month. He succeeds Scott Robinson, director of the Port of Muskogee, Okla.
The well-attended Mobile meeting capped a tumultuous year for NWC on a positive note. The organization was shocked in June by the resignation and subsequent death of president Worth Hager. At Mobile, members approved a resolution in her honor which will be permanently recorded in the organization’s records, and presented to her family during the NWC Budget Summit next March in Washington, D.C.
Hager was given a lot of credit for one piece of news that came while the annual meeting was in session: the long-awaited passage of the Water Resources Development Act. She had been an effective advocate for the legislation during the period she led NWC, and members invoked her name often during the meeting when they cheered its passage.
But that legislative success wasn’t the only positive for NWC in Mobile. Officials reported that sponsorships for the meeting were at the highest level in the organization’s 47-year history….
Fourteen years ago, Royal Chemical of Belle Chasse, La., recognized the need to improve upon corrosion prevention in void spaces of barges and towboats on the inland waterways. The industry standard at the time was to use grease or heat wax to 170 degrees F and spray it in the void spaces.
It was a hot, nasty job and the story was, more often than not, a shipyard would “volunteer” the newest member of the painting crew for the job.
A new petroleum-based paint had been offered on the market, but in confined spaces with welding projects underway nearby, those paint fumes were dangerous. One shipyard reportedly had an explosion in which two workers were killed.
After extensive research, Royal Chemical introduced its first asphalt emulsion coating. What made a big difference to shipyards was the ease of application of the water-based paint compared to the difficulties and dangers of hot wax and greases.
Barge owners like it because the coating dries to a hard rubber-like consistency, which allows for safe inspections.
Owen Jones Jr., who bought Royal Chemical about that time and spearheaded the product development, calls Royal Chemical’s asphalt paint an “asset preservation tool” for inland barges….
The Rock Island Engineer District christened a new towboat, the City of Ottawa, October 13 in Ottawa, Ill.
The City of Ottawa is one of the premiere boats in its fleet, Col. Robert Sinkler, commander of the Rock Island District, said in his remarks at the christening.
“Many fisherman still believe that if a ship hasn’t been christened, it will catch no fish, and the owner is sure to be drowned,” he said. “To ensure good luck for the City of Ottawa and her crew, we’ve brought along a bottle of champagne to break over her bow and officially name her.”
Designed to push the heavy lifting crane Hercules and the rest of the repair fleet, the boat is also used for switching, line-pull and free-running service.
The City of Ottawa is assigned to the Illinois Waterway Project Office in Peoria, Ill. and assists in the repair and maintenance of locks and dams on the Illinois Waterway. The boat was named City of Ottawa because it will work along the banks of the Illinois River, including areas around the historic town of Ottawa….
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