Baton Rouge
USCG Marine Safety Issues Bulletin
USCG Marine Safety Office New Orleans issued Marine Safety Bulletins reminding the maritime community that security zones are in effect for waters of the Mississippi River in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Unless permitted by COTP New Orleans, vessels are prohibited from operating between Mile Marker 88 to Mile Marker 103 in the vicinity of New Orleans and from Mile Marker 229 to Mile Marker 234 in the vicinity of Baton Rouge. Recreational vessels and fishing vessels navigating the Intracoastal Waterway across the Mississippi River are encouraged to use the Algiers Locks instead of the Harvey Locks so as to avoid lengthy delays. (5/22/03). Source: HK Law
Port of Greater Baton Rouge Buys Land
The Port of Greater Baton Rouge recently purchased a parcel of land strategically located adjacent to the port's Inland Rivers Marine Terminal. The purchase includes 140 acres of land with 5,000 linear feet of water frontage on the U.S. Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The land was purchased from 11 heirs of the Hummel estate. The $1.675 million purchase was brokered by Marc Barker of Latter & Blum Realtors. Port of Greater Baton Rouge CEO Roger Richard said
Port of Baton Rouge Hires Polansky for Security
John Polansky, Jr. has been hired as the new director of engineering and security with the Port of Greater Baton Rouge. His responsibilities include oversight of the Port Construction and Development Priority Program and supervision of the design and construction of projects, as well as ensuring environmental compliance of all port facilities. Originally from South Charleston, West Virginia, Polansky graduated from West Virginia University in
Mississippi River Could Close on Monday
Swollen by weeks of heavy rain and snowmelt, the Mississippi River has been breaking high-water records that have stood since the 1920s and 1930s; it is projected to crest at Vicksburg, Mississippi, on 19 May and break the mark set there during the historic Great Flood of 1927; the crest is expected to reach New Orleans on 23 May; officials with the Port of New Orleans said the Coast Guard may close the river to ships as early as Monday
Coast Guard Responds to Oil Spill
Credit: U.S. Coast Guard photographs The Coast Guard is responding to an inland oil spill at mile marker 32 of the Ouachita/Black River. These Aug. 22 photographs show the location where the motor vessel Tulsa, a dredge, sank in the middle of the channel Monday, spilling an estimated 840 gallons of diesel fuel, hydraulic oil and lube oil. All four crewmembers were safely rescued from the water and the waterway was closed to maritime traffic to facilitate the cleanup and salvage operations
Navy Ships Respond for Hurricane Relief
Joint Task Force Katrina is setting up today at Camp Shelby, Miss. , as the Defense Department's focal point to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency's relief efforts along the Gulf Coast, Air Force Maj. Eric Butterbaugh, a U. S. Northern Command spokesman, confirmed today. Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, 1st U. S. Army commander, will head the task force to coordinate DoD active-duty support for disaster relief efforts in the hurricane's aftermath
Is the $100 Barrel Coming?
As Hurricane Katrina slammed through the Gulf of Mexico, energy companies evacuated offshore workers and shut about 91 percent of the region's oil production, or 1.37 million barrels daily, according to a Bloomberg report. Katrina ripped drilling rigs from moorings, damaged production platforms and curtailed pipeline shipments, idling 11 percent of U.S. refining capacity and leaving oil supplies vulnerable to another crisis
Lott and Bergeron Join AMPOL
American Pollution Control Corp. (AMPOL), an oil spill response and environmental solutions provider, has named Kevin Bergeron and Jeremy Lott Insulation Specialists, announced CEO Kirk Headley. Bergeron and Lott will both be based out of AMPOL’s New Iberia facility. Their responsibilities will include insulation preparation, installation and service. Combined, the two men bring more than 42 years of experience to AMPOL.
DOJ: Vessel Operator Admits Pollution
United States Attorney Donald J. Cazayoux, Jr., announced that, yesterday, CLEOPATRA SHIPPING AGENCY, LTD., a Greek vessel management company, pled guilty to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships and was sentenced to pay a $300,000 fine and serve a three-year term of probation requiring implementation of an environmental compliance program. U.S. District Judge James J. Brady ordered that $150,000 of the fine be awarded to the CLEOPATRA employee who reported the violation
Training & Education: DCC Offers Inland Towboat Simulator Training
Delgado Community College became the first major marine training school in the United States to join the TRANSERV program. Delgado's Full Mission Bridge Simulator has been fully upgraded with the very latest Navi-Trainer Professional 4000 simulation software and now boasts the latest Transas industry leading visualization capabilities, as well as newly installed training tools for inland towboat and barge operations. As part of their ongoing marine program development
New Fireboats Headed to Houston
A two-week voyage through four Great Lakes and the Mississippi River will bring to the Port of Houston Authority the first of three high-performance fireboats to replace the current fleet. "As the nation's busiest port in terms of foreign tonnage and home to one of the world's largest
Megan Bel Joins National Ocean Industries Association Staff
Megan Bel joined the staff of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) as Senior Director, Government and Political Affairs. She comes to NOIA from the Office of Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA) where she served as Legislative Director since 2008
Mississippi Port Names New Executive Director
Following a national search, the Board of Commissioners of the Mississippi State Port Authority at Gulfport selected Jonathan Daniels as the port’s new executive director. Daniels comes to the Port of Gulfport from the Port of Oswego in upstate New York where he served as executive
A New Era in Fleeting
Ship docking tugs now take the Z-drive for granted, but it has found only limited acceptance for river towboats. That is about to change with a new boat being built for The Carline Companies at Raymond and Associates in Bayou LaBatre. One of the Carline companies is the Burnside Fleet located at
Bulk Transport Leadership: Dan Martin
Drought and ensuing low river levels continue to affect the inland industry. Low water between St. Louis and Cairo, Illinois has threatened traffic on the Mississippi River since December. For months, dredging operations have slowed vessels at points along the river's course
Super Bowl XLVII & Lower Mississippi Maritime Security Ops
In support of Super Bowl XLVII, a team of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies begin maritime safety and security operations on the lower Mississippi River, Monday. Response boats, patrol vehicles and enforcement personnel from more than 16 law enforcement agencies will conduct
Dredging 24/7 to Keep Mississippi Open
US Army Corps of Engineers battle extreme low-water conditions to keep the river' scommercial navigation moving. Five dredges are kept moving rapidly from one trouble spot to another to keep up with dynamic low water operational demands, the Corps is also working very closely with the
More Public Safety Dive Teams Employ Side Scan Sonar
More public safety dive teams are adding sonar to assist in their underwater search and recovery operations. Side scan is the ideal tool for these operations because it produces detailed images of the underwater environment regardless of water clarity
McKinney Chooses Mitsubishi
For more than 40 years, McKinney Companies has served the Gulf petroleum and dry cargo industries from its headquarters on the Mississippi River and Intracoastal Waterway. The latest addition to the towing fleet is the shiny new Mac Andrew McKinney
Kings Bay Sub Base Contract Awarded
Kings Bay Support Services, L.L.C., Baton Rouge, La., is being awarded a $35,188,366 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operations support services at Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay. The work to be performed provides for base operations support
This Day in U.S. Naval History - March 14
1863 - RADM Farragut's squadron of 7 ships forces way up Mississippi River to support Union troops at Vicksburg and Baton Rouge 1929 - NAS Pensacola aircraft make 113 flights for flood rescue and relief (Source: Navy News Service)
Frelinghuysen Directs Corps To Maintain Lower Miss. River
The Big River Coalition praised the efforts of the Chairman of the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee and the entire Louisiana Congressional delegation for their efforts to have the U.S. Corps of Engineers maintain the Lower Mississippi River to its project dimension.
Mississippi River Pilots Limit Large Ship Movements
According to a Feb. 2 report from Bloomberg, deep-draft ships traveling on sections of the Mississippi River in southern La. will be allowed to run only during the day because of shallow water and lack of dredging, the New Orleans Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots Association said.
USCG Responds to Barge Explosion
The Coast Guard is responding to a tank barge explosion on the Mississippi River near Sunshine, La., April 24. At approximately 3:30 p.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report from the Iberville Parish Fire Department of a barge explosion at the LBC Tank Terminals
ACL Realigns Transportation Services Division
American Commercial Lines Inc. (NASDAQ: ACLI) announced it is realigning its Transportation Services Division to reduce costs, improve efficiencies, and streamline communication. The company will be moving leaders in operations management to field locations, closer to its employees and customers