Towing Vessel Grounds Near Berwick, La.
A section of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway has been closed after a towing vessel ran aground at mile marker 99, near Berwick, La., the U.S. Coast Guard said.Watchstanders at Vessel Traffic Service Berwick Bay received a report at approximately 10 p.m., Sunday, that the towing vessel Miss Odessa, carrying six hopper barges filled with rock, ran aground.The Miss Odessa was reportedly transiting south-bound on the Atchafalaya River when it turned west onto the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and hit bottom.
Louisiana Dredging Outlook
When maritime stakeholders think about dredging, they typically first conjure up visions of harbor deepening projects to accommodate those giant, post-Panamax boxships. Conversely, inland players hope for maintenance dredging in the heartland to keep the nation’s 31,000 cargo barges afloat as they head for the coast. But, there is much more to it than that. In Louisiana, dredging, of course, keeps Louisiana's waterways open for navigation, provides material for coastal restoration and helps industrial plants with drainage. The biggest projects are sponsored by the U.S.
Lockheed Martin Achieves Milestones for PAWSS
Lockheed Martin completed key milestones for the U.S. Coast Guard's Ports and Waterways Safety System (PAWSS), enhancing safety in New York Harbor and other major waterways. The five milestones involved Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) and Automatic Identification System (AIS) work for the Port of New York and New Jersey, Port of New Orleans, Port of Valdez, AK, Port of Houston and Galveston, and Sault Ste. Marie, MI. The PAWSS system enables the Coast Guard to pay closer attention to vessels requiring more detailed evaluation through the use of radar, AIS, radio communications, closed circuit television and infrared cameras. Initially designed to support the Coast Guard's maritime safety and environmental protection mission…
New Vessel Traffic Control Tower Completed
A new $1.1m Vessel Traffic Control Tower was recently completed at Mile Marker 99 of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway adjacent to Jesse Fontenot Memorial Boat Landing in Berwick, La. The purpose of the tower is to provide additional camera vantage points looking westward along the Intracoastal Waterway, southward along the Lower Atchafalaya River and northward toward Berwick Bay. In addition, the tower will be equipped with a TERMA radar and Automatic Identification System (AIS) transceiver to update and improve the overall Ports and Waterways Safety System in order to provide increased situational awareness for the U. S. Coast Guard vessel traffic controllers at Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) Berwick Bay. Captain Terry Gilbreath, the Commanding Officer of U.
Comment Period Approaching for New AIS Rules
The comment period for vessel owner/operators affected by the Automated Identification System (AIS) ends July 31. AIS is a shipboard broadcast system that acts like a continuous and autonomous transponder, operating in the VHF maritime band. The system allows ships to easily track, identify and exchange pertinent navigation information from one another or ashore; for collision avoidance, security and VTS reporting. “This schedule is of particular importance to fishing vessels that travel to and from Alaska to Seattle,” said Capt. Richard Preston, chief of the Seventeenth Coast Guard District’s Operational Plans and Policy Division in Juneau.
USACE Issues Navigation Bulletin
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a Navigation Bulletin stating that the contract dredge Tom James is working in the vicinity of the Old River Lock until approximately October 1. It will subsequently be working in Berwick Bay Harbor until approximately November 18. Mariners are urged to transit at their slowest safe speed to minimize wake and to proceed with caution after passing arrangements have been made.
