North River

Almar by North River Boats Recent Completions

Almar by North River Boats Inc. of Roseburg, Ore. announced the recent completion of the following three boats: 1.)  This is the fourth boat in a series of five 33’ X 10’ Sounder Pilot House built for Hydrographic Survey use.  This boat is powered by twin Yanmar 315 hp diesel engines and Hamilton 241 water jets with a top speed of over 31 knots and a fuel capacity of 200 gallons.    The pilot house is equipped with two Coleman Seamach air conditioning units, a stand up head with electric toilet and wash basin for the comfort of the crew.  The vessel is also equipped with a Ray Marine RAY 430 Hailer, Motorola Pro 5100 VHF radio, Motorola Pro 5100 UHF radio, Furuno FA150 AIS system, Ritchie Voyager D84 compass, and L.E.D. Courtesy lights.   Almar by North River Boats is currently building the fifth boat in this series and a slightly larger version to be used for Aids to Navigation.   2.)  North River constructed this 25’ X 8’6” Cathedral Hull Patrol / Rescue boat with 10’ enclosed cabin.  This vessel is powered by twin outboard Mercury 200 Optimax motors and has 100 gallon fuel capacity. The boat will mainly be used for Hydrographic Survey.      It is equipped with an Echotrac model MKIII-P survey echo sounder with remote display, DMS-05 Dynamic Motion Sensor, Digibar Pro DBP Velocimeter, McMurdo SmartFind Plus Category I Epirb, Garmin 546 GPS with Blue Chart

Mississippi Traffic Picks Up

Traffic on the mid-Mississippi River was picking up this week from Davenport, Iowa, southward as ice melt improved navigation and locks were open to pass barges, river officials said Tuesday. “There are vessels in pool 14 near Le Claire, Iowa, through to St. Louis,” said Ron Fournier, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman for the Rock Island District. About a half-dozen tows were traveling from Le Claire, Iowa, at lock and dam 14 just north of Davenport, to Muscatine, Iowa

High Water Forces Lock Closures

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will close additional locks on the upper Mississippi River north of St. Louis beginning on Monday (April 23) due to rising water levels, Army Corps officials said. Lock 22 near Hannibal, Mo., about 150 miles north of St. Louis, was scheduled to close on Monday afternoon and Lock 21 near Quincy, Ill., will close on Tuesday. The Army Corps had closed Lock 20 at Canton, Mo., over the weekend but was keeping Lock 19 near Keokuk, Ia., open for local traffic

Delta Queen Celebrates Return of American Queen

The Delta Queen Steamboat Company (a Delaware North Company) will celebrate the return of the American Queen in 2007 with several advance purchase offers. All three boats will steam from their home port in New Orleans, beginning their season in the Spring of 2007. Following her charters to energy companies in support of disaster relief efforts in the Gulf Coast area and an extended lay-up, the grand American Queen, will join the National Historic Landmark Delta Queen, and

More Ships to Leave James River Fleet

Two more ships are leaving the James River, headed for disposal facilities in Virginia and Maryland, in what has become a regular occurrence since the Bush Administration took over management of the nation’s ship disposal program five years ago, the U.S. Maritime Administration announced on March 23. The Howard W. Gilmore, one of the last World War II-vintage ships still at the fleet, is scheduled to leave the James River Reserve Fleet at Fort Eustis

Mississippi Traffic Stalled

Barge traffic on the upper Mississippi River was slowed on Oct. 24 when a 600-foot section of the river was closed to remove 1,400 tons of rock that was dislodged from a barge, a river official said. "This morning a barge broke away from a tow and dumped a load of rock in the middle of the channel," said Charles Camillo, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman. "No other barges were involved," he said. The accident occurred near mile marker 16, located about 16 river miles north of Cairo

Collision on Mississippi River, Pollution Incident

The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a report of acrylonitrile in the Mississippi River, near mile marker 775.5, one mile north of the Hachie River inlet. At approximately 9 p.m., July 26, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Lower Mississippi River received a report from the master of the Merrick Jones, a 128-ft towing vessel pushing 26 barges, that a collision had occurred involving the Merrick Jones and the Dixie Express, an 87-ft towing barge pushing two barges of acrylonitrile

Budget Battles Bumping Backlogs?

Patrol And Combat Builders Fret About Budget Cuts But See Bright Spots. So far; so good. U.S. companies building patrol and combat craft aren’t happy about federal, state and city budget cuts but say they do see positive, demand-side factors. Much of their overseas business depends on the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program. The FMS, which transfers defense equipment and services to other nations, is retrenching now, however

Mississippi River Main Channel Reopened

The AP has reported that the main channel of the Mississippi River above Winona has reopened. The channel reopened after being closed since a tugboat ran aground Saturday morning. The lockmaster at Lock and Dam Five in Minneiska says the accident about two miles north of the dam kept traffic from getting past. It is said that two private dredge operators were finally able to free the towboat and its barges after two-and-a-half days.

Briggs Marine Wins London Ferry Contract

UK marine contractor Briggs Marine wins 7-year contract worth over £50 million with Transport for London (TfL) to operate cross-Thames ferry. The contract will see Briggs Marine undertake operation and maintenance of the Woolwich Ferry service from 1st April 2013. Working with London River Services Limited (LRS), a subsidiary of TfL, Briggs Marine will be responsible for daily operation of the ferry service