Halter Launches First J&L Barge
Halter Marine has launched the Capella (the brightest star in the constellation Auriga) an 80,000-barrel tank barge for J&L, Inc. The barge, the first project Halter has undertaken for J&L, was built at Halter’s Gulfport, Miss. Yard. Delivery is planned for August 30. The barge is 332 ft. long, with a beam of 74 ft. and a depth of 25 ft. The barge is built to U.S. Coast Guard standards under Sub-chapter D, as a tank barge certified to carry Grade A or lower bulk petroleum products. The barge also qualifies to be certified by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) under the +A1 Oil Tank Barge designation. The facility, technical, managerial and manpower assets of the Halter business unit are in the process of being transferred to VT Kinetics.
Massachusetts Legislature Considers Bill to Regulate Tank Barges
Massachusetts House Bill 59 (HB 59) was reported out of the Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture and referred to the Steering, Policy and Scheduling Committee. HB 59 is similar to bills introduced, but never enacted, in the 1997 and 1998 state legislative sessions. The bill requires all tank barges transporting bulk petroleum products be equipped with an operable anchor system and be manned, unless the state Department of Environmental Protection determines alternative technical or operational measures provide an equivalent degree of protection. If the bill is released by the Steering, Policy and Scheduling Committee, it can go to the floor for a third reading or for a vote. A third reading will enable individuals opposed to the bill to provide testimony to the committee.
