Weekly News Summary for December 11-17, 2006:
The Water Resources Development Act, an authorization bill given top priority by the waterways industry, was pronounced dead at 1:47 p.m., December 5.
Further work on the legislation (H.R. 2864 and S. 728) was abandoned officially by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, whose spokesman, Justin Harclerode, said December 6 that there was too little time left for House and Senate negotiators to reach agreement before adjournment of the 109th Congress.
“It’s back to the drawing board,” Harclerode said. “We’ll try again next year.”
R. Barry Palmer, president and chief executive officer of Waterways Council Inc., a leading advocate of the authorization bill, said he was “disappointed” that the industry’s six-year effort went for naught. “It’s terrible,” he added.
The authorization bill had been passed every two years, but none has been approved since 2000.
American Association of Port Authorities officials said that passage of WRDA on a bi-annual basis “is critical in maintaining a world-class marine transportation system. WRDA provides authorization for new water resources projects including harbor deepening and changes to maintenance dredging requirements. Unfortunately, WRDA was last passed in 2000. Each year the bill is delayed, the cost of the WRDA bill increases significantly.”
Touching on Congress’s failure to finish the WRDA bill, AAPA said it hopes that the new Congress “will move quickly on a bill in 2007 rather than reopening issues that have been largely resolved through extensive negotiations, such as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reform. Further delay in the critical port and harbor waterway projects in this bill will cause economic harm and hardship for the nation.”…
Tennessee River traffic reopened four days early December 2 as the main chamber at Wilson Locks near Florence, Ala., were repaired ahead of schedule.
River traffic came to a standstill from Muscle Shoals, Ga., to Knoxville, Tenn., after a Maryland Marine Inc. tow damaged the auxiliary chamber in a November 28 accident. Wilson Lock’s main chamber was closed for repair after it was damaged August 3, also by a Maryland Marine tow.
David Bethurum, physical support branch chief for the Nashville Engineer District, said the Corps worked around the clock to complete the repairs. He also credited access to one of the largest floating cranes in the region, the Henry M. Shreve, as one reason for the quick repair.
The Shreve has a 550-ton lift capacity, and it was used to remove and replace the 210-ton upper gate, he said….
Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) implementation has been slowed down by federal officials who are dealing with the practical implications of the proposal, said Sean T. Connaughton, administrator of the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration.
Speaking to members of the Inland Rivers, Ports and Terminals (IRPT) at a breakfast in New Orleans coinciding with the International Workboat Show, Connaughton said administration officials recognize TWIC cards may well exacerbate the manpower shortage of ports and maritime companies.
The Bush administration “is working to address these and other concerns” that have been brought to its attention during the recent regulatory comment period, he said.
“Security needs must be satisfied, but we also need to address the number of workers that will be affected,” Connaughton told the gathering. The crowd included Adm. Joel T. Whitehead of the Eighth Coast Guard District, port authority officials and alumni from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, of which Connaughton is also an alumnus….
As coincidence would have it, mere months after AEP River Operations’ MEMCO Barge Line renamed one of its towboats after the company’s claims manager, it dispatched the vessel to Davant, La., to serve as a base from which to sort out the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, a claims manager’s worst nightmare.
Last month, the Chesterfield, Mo.-based barge line held a dedication ceremony to honor its key employee, Douglas J. Fischer, who had worked tirelessly to unravel the Katrina mess. The vessel named in his honor was open for viewing at Material Sales Company’s dock in St. Louis. Presentations were made at a luncheon at the Randall Gallery. The event took place November 20 and was attended by many out-of-state guests, some from as far away as Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. It was emceed by Keith Darling, senior vice president of boat operations.
At the luncheon, Troy Krebs, barge maintenance manager, described working with Fischer during the days following Katrina, as his team pulled hundreds of barges off the levees, from atop bridges and out of people’s yards.
“As the days progressed,” he said, “we would find more problems and more fires to put out, and Doug was always there for support as he always is.”
He talked about his coworker’s perseverance, hard work and patience, saying it was those qualities that helped get the job done during the tough times following the hurricane….
Karl Gonzales, president of the Greater New Orleans Barge Fleeting Association (GNOBFA), works closely with local, state and federal officials to improve navigation and other issues facing barge companies. At the winter meeting, held November 29 in Metairie, La., Gonzales touched on a number of issues that affected the industry.
The channel under certain spans of the Huey P. Long Bridge over the Mississippi River above New Orleans will be blocked to marine traffic periodically as construction work continues on strengthening bridge piers to handle widening the vehicle traffic lanes, said Gonzales, who also serves as executive vice president of Gulf South Marine Transportation Inc.
The project could last five years or be completed sooner if good weather and low water conditions speed construction. Navigation restrictions will be announced in Notices to Mariners and in marine broadcasts.
Paper charts will give way to electronic charts beginning January 1, Gonzales reminded the towing company representatives. Electronic charts will be required on all commercial vessels longer than 65 feet, and on towing vessels of 26 feet or greater with at least 600 hp.
Closure of the Port Allen Lock during low water is being scheduled, although the exact date has yet to be determined. The lock will be closed for 45 to 60 days, depending on the amount of work required, he told the gathered maritime executives. The number of days the lock will be closed can’t be determined until the lock is dewatered, he said. Traffic at the Algiers and Harvey locks is expected to back up during repairs….
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