Low Water

Low Water Hampers River Traffic

Already low water on the Mississippi River around St. Louis was expected by this weekend to approach levels too shallow for barge transportation, and a damaged lock slowed river traffic near Davenport, Iowa, river officials said Thursday. The St. Louis gauge for the Mississippi was at 3.0 feet on Wednesday and was forecast to hit 0.0 feet by Saturday. River traffic can continue operation through St. Louis until the gauge hits -3.5 feet and the river channel is 9 feet deep, the shallowest depth at which barge traffic can pass. "Any time it gets below five feet on the St. Louis gauge, everybody starts to monitor that. And when it gets below zero the river industry will start forming a low action water group and you'll see restrictions on tows and other things," said Charles Camillo, spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis district. The Upper Mississippi Low Action Water Group, an organization coordinated by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Corps of Engineers and river industry associations, meets during low water events to institute safety precautions for barges such as weight and tow-size restrictions, Camillo said. The group had not convened as of Wednesday, but Camillo said that some action could be taken by next week if the river continues to fall. "We need some extended rainfall for a long time to help out. Nothing's been initiated thus far with the low water group, but it will," Camillo said.

Great Lakes Crisis Continues: Dredging and Water Both Needed

Lake Michigan-Huron sets all-time record for lowest monthly water level. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District through its Great Lakes Hydraulics and Hydrology Office reports a preliminary new record low water level for Lake Michigan-Huron for the second month in a row. The new record low of 175.57 meters or 576.02 feet is not only the lowest January monthly average water level ever recorded, but also the lowest monthly average ever recorded for any month over the official

USCG Investigates Towboat Groundings

The U.S. Coast Guard investigated three separate towboat-related groundings on the lower Mississippi River yesterday that prompted the closure of parts of the river. One of them occured near Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. The first occured about 180 miles south of Angola, Louisiana. At 6:30 a.m., another towboat ran aground about 15 miles north of Rosedale, Mississippi. The third accident happened about 3:15 p.m. when the 140-ft

Seaway Open Is Earliest Ever

The St. Lawrence Seaway opened for the 2001 navigation season on Friday, March 23, 2001, the earliest start in the 43-year history of the waterway that connects the middle of North America with the Atlantic Ocean. "The outlook is good for the St. Lawrence Seaway in the 2001 navigation year," said Guy Veronneau, president of Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. "Regardless of the softening of the North American economy, goods still need to be moved

Barge Traffic Still Slow On Mississippi

Barge traffic on U.S. Midwest rivers continued slow as low water levels on the upper and lower Mississippi River and ice buildup on the Illinois River kept navigation treacherous, Reuters reported on Wednesday. "At the Memphis gauge, the water level is about three feet below the desired level," said Lt. Brian Meier, U.S. Coast Guard spokesman, Memphis office. "The forecast is for water levels to stay pretty steady for next couple days," he said.

Kirby Announces 4Q & 2012 Year Financials

Kirby Corporation today announced net earnings attributable to Kirby for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2012 of $57.9 million, or $1.03 per share, compared with $56.2 million, or $1.00 per share, for the 2011 fourth quarter.  Revenues for the 2012 fourth quarter were $512.6 million compared with $550.1 million for the 2011 fourth quarter.   Joe Pyne, Kirby's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented

Tulsa Port of Catoosa Reports Record July

“Shipping tonnage at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa increased in July, making it the best July in 22 years and the second best July in the history of the Port,” said Jerry Goodwin, chairman of the City of Tulsa - Rogers County Port Authority. “Shipments of inbound steel, pipe, and dry fertilizer increased along with outbound wheat and liquid fertilizer. Shipments of inbound oats and caustic soda were down slightly along with miscellaneous grains and asphalt,” said Goodwin.

Port Manatee Berth 12 Dreding Underway

Port Manatee’s Berth 12 dredging project – the final piece of the Tampa Bay port’s 11-year, $200 million expansion – enters its third week with 25 percent of the project complete. The 1,584-foot berth will be dredged to a depth of 41 feet at mean-low-water and is on target for completion in October. “This sends a message to the industry and opens the door to advance Port Manatee’s future in containerized shipping

BMT Secures Contract for Rio Tinto

BMT JFA Consultants (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, a  international engineering and risk management consultancy, has been commissioned by Pilbara Iron Company Pty Ltd (part of the Rio Tinto Group) to provide specialist dredging consultancy services.    The primary objective of this work is to prepare a Maintenance Dredging Plan (MDP) for Rio Tinto’s iron ore export operations at the ports of Dampier and Cape Lambert on the North-West coast of Western Australia.

Charleston Harbor Dredging Funds in President's Budget

The President's FY 2014 Budget once again includes funds to continue Charleston's Post-45 harbor deepening project. This project was designated last year by the Administration as one of its priority infrastructure projects. The recently released fiscal year 2014 budget includes a $1.165-million allocation to continue the considerable progress on the project's feasibility study, now at its midpoint. With 45 feet of depth at mean low water