Weekly News Summary for December 3-9, 2007:
Towboat operators and tankermen are beginning to benefit from quicker processing of license applications, said Capt. David Stalfort, commanding officer of the National Maritime Center, in an update on the Coast Guard’s effort to centralize its licensing program.
The National Maritime Center at the U.S. Coast Guard is consolidating and reorganizing its licensing program to shorten the processing time of applications, develop consistency and improve customer service for mariners.
As license requirements and licensed mariners have increased, Coast Guard examination centers became overwhelmed with work. Regional Exam Centers (RECs) worked overtime, reduced the number of hours they were open and did not answer the phones.
“Mariners complained about slow service. There were inconsistencies with the way things were done. People started shopping for the best answers,” said Stalfort.
The Coast Guard has had 17 regional examination centers with 17 different processes for issuing credentials.
With 17 different offices, processing applications takes up to 85 days or longer. That time has been shortened to between 10 to 28 days for the four offices that have sent their applications to the National Maritime Center for processing. Those offices are in New Orleans, La.; Anchorage and Juneau, Alaska; and Baltimore, Md….
Respect is what Walter Blessey Jr. gives. Respect is what he likes to receive in return, and respect is exactly what he got from Capt. Robert Collins at the christening of a towboat named in Collins’ honor recently.
Blessey Marine Services Inc. christened the mv. Mary T. Collins November 14 in New Orleans. The boat is named for Capt. Collins’ wife; the ceremony was held at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside.
“When I first came on (with the company), I was on one of the first 10 boats that Walter had,” Collins told the christening crowd. “He was building the company at that time and doing virtually everything by himself. Walter ran the office. Walter ran the boats. Walter ran the maintenance. I’ve seen Walter down in the bilge in oily water up to his elbows, and I have to admire a man who puts so much of himself into his business.
“As the years passed by, I watched the company grow, and I watched the way he cared for his people. He knows each and every one of us. There are very few people Walter can’t call by name.”
The longtime Blessey wheelman said he is honored to be part of a team he thinks does its job better than any other company in the industry.
“You know,” he continued, “I can get a job almost anywhere. I’ve run 25-barge tows and I’ve run one-barge tows. As of January next year, I will have been here 16 years. That by itself says a lot about what the company is and what the man behind the company means.”…
The Corps of Engineers has issued its annual notice alerting mariners to changing conditions and possible hazards due to ice on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers.
“Severe navigation problems can always be expected throughout the ice-forming season,” the Corps noted. “Currently, flows on the Mississippi River are near normal for this time of year. As winter approaches and water temperatures drop, ice will form rapidly, reducing river flow by as much as 50 percent over the course of a few days. During this time, channel velocities will be minimal leading to ice buildup at bends in the river and on submerged training structures. Once initial ice formation is complete, flows will rebound slightly, making movement somewhat less difficult.
“Gorged ice becomes a particular hazard when attempts are made to drive barges through the formation. Barges forced through or over gorged ice are frequently holed, stoved in or buckled, which usually results in sinking. Navigators are advised to exercise due caution to avoid sinking barges and subsequent blockage of the navigation channel. Gorged ice may also create unusual currents and high-localized flow or outdraft conditions due to water bypassing the temporary dam formed by the gorge. Navigators approaching an ice gorge should make certain that the towboat has sufficient power to properly control the number of barges in tow under such unusual conditions of flow.”…
Lalande Towing Operators LLC was contracted to haul massive dust collectors from Mobile, Ala., to Louisville, Ky., using its European-style integrated tug Ms. Angel and super jumbo hopper barges.
The New Iberia, La.-based company teamed up with Core Industries to load the dust collectors built at Theodore Industrial Port near Mobile. The collectors were built in pieces by Wheelabrator Air Pollution Control and shipped to Theodore Industrial Port by truck for assembly by G&R Plant Maintenance.
Once assembled, the dust collectors were loaded by Core Industries onto the Lalande tow, which features an elevating wheelhouse and is rigidly connected to a box-end barge and lead raked-end barge.
The Ms. Angel will travel up the Mississippi River to deliver the dust collectors to Louisville Gas & Electric’s Trimble County generating plant on the Ohio River.
Don Lalande, president and owner of Lalande Towing Operators, said the lead barge is equipped with a Pelco video camera with night vision technology to aid in the transit. He said he added the camera to the tow when it was built in anticipation of vision restrictions hauling containers….
Brownsville Marine Products launched its 100th barge November 21 from its facility south of Pittsburgh, Pa., on the Monongahela River.
The 200- by 35-foot box, double-hull, hopper barge has an 1,800-ton capacity and is in its final inspection process. Brownsville Marine will take draft readings to confirm draft calculations.
“Once that’s done, there’s a final walk around, and it’s ready to go,” said Don Bewley, general manager.
The barge will start working for SCF Marine Inc. in 30 days. With proper care, it should last about 30 years, he said.
“To some, 100 barges isn’t a great number, but to us, it’s a great accomplishment, and it’s our intention that it won’t take nearly as long to build the second 100 barges,” Bewley said….
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