Central Us News

Rivers are critical corridors that connect cities and ecosystems alike. When drought develops, water levels fall, making river navigation harder and more expensive.In 2022, water levels in some of the world’s largest rivers, including the Rhine in Europe and the Yangtze in China, fell to historically low levels. The Mississippi River fell so low in Memphis, Tennessee, in mid-October that barges were unable to float, requiring dredging and special water releases from upstream reservoirs to keep channels navigable.Conditions on the lower Mississippi may be easing somewhat…

U.S. oil and gas companies on Friday raced to complete evacuations from offshore Gulf of Mexico platforms as Tropical Storm Ida advanced towards oilfields that provide 17% of the nation's oil production.The storm early Friday was about 50 miles northwest of Grand Cayman Island moving north at 15 miles (24 km) and expected to intensify and become near a major hurricane when it hits the central U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). A major…

The first storm to hit oil-producing regions of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico this year sent workers fleeing offshore oil platforms and cut some production.A weather disturbance in the central Gulf of Mexico was expected to become a tropical storm on Friday. It was moving north at about 14 miles per hour (22 kmh) and could bring up to 12-inches of rain to the central U.S. Gulf Coast by Saturday, the National Weather Service said.Equinor ASA on Friday said it had removed staff and shut production at its Titan platform, which is about 65 miles (105 km) off the coast of Louisiana.

Newly formed dredging and marine infrastructure services firm Encore Dredging Partners, LLC. (EDP) said it has acquired Inland Dredging Company, LLC for an undisclosed purchase price.EDP said it completed the transaction with support from its sole financial sponsor, Austin, Texas-based private equity firm AV Capital. League City, Texas-based EDP is a mid-sized cutter suction and mechanical dredging services provider focused on navigable waterways throughout the U.S.For 24 years, Dyersburg, Tenn.-headquartered Inland has provided dredging services throughout the Central U.S.

Energy companies, ports and refiners raced on Monday to shut down as Hurricane Sally grew stronger while lumbering toward the central U.S. Gulf Coast, the second significant hurricane to shutter oil and gas activity over the last month.The hurricane is disrupting oil imports and exports as the nation's sole offshore terminal, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), stopped loading tanker ships on Sunday, while the port of New Orleans closed on Monday.The U.S. government said 21%…

Tropical Storm Barry formed on Thursday with heavy rains expected across the north-central U.S. Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center said.Barry, the second named storm of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, was located about 95 miles (150 kilometers) south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River at about 11 a.m. EDT with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles (65 km) per hour, the Miami-based weather forecaster said. (Reuters, Reporting by Swati Verma in Bengaluru Editing by Bill Trott)

Laborde Products, the Gulf Coast and central U.S. engine distributor behind OXE - the world’s first high power diesel outboard, recently attended the Miami International Boat Show, where the diesel out-board created quite the buzz.The show buzz shortly went viral after the YouTube, rib, and yacht tender restoration aficionado, Al-fred Montaner, took a demo ride with the Laborde Products crew.Boarding a BRIG 730 with drone and camera in hand, Montaner documented the quiet yet powerful ride of CIMCOs diesel outboard.

The offshore energy boom: more than wind. Domestic offshore wind also promises to generate demand for new, efficiently propelled support vessels. The U.S. offshore wind farm industry, now in its infancy, is on the verge of a massive growth surge, and the boom will be felt throughout the American maritime industry. The U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy reported last year that there is a “robust pipeline of projects to ensure growth in the country’s nascent offshore wind market…

TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company (TGS) and Schlumberger today announced a new multi- and wide-azimuth (M-WAZ) multiclient reimaging program in the highly prospective Central U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Final results are expected in early 2018, ahead of a period when substantial block turnover in the area is anticipated. The new Fusion M-WAZ reimaging program comprises data covering more than 1,000 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) blocks (~23,000 km2) from 3D WAZ programs previously acquired by TGS and Schlumberger with the WesternGeco Q-Marine* point-receiver marine seismic system between 2008 and 2012. This large reimaging program will process data from the Mississippi Canyon…

The Mississippi River, a major artery for U.S. commercial barge traffic, was expected to crest in Tennessee on Friday and Arkansas over the weekend as it pushed south toward the Gulf of Mexico, officials said. The river is predicted to rise just below 40 feet (12.2 meters) in Memphis, Tennessee, on Friday afternoon, above the 34 feet at which the city considers it a flood event, while it is expected to crest in Helena, Arkansas, on Sunday, according to Jeff Graschel, a hydrologist at the National Weather Service. Officials expect levees in other states along the lower Mississippi to contain the river's high levels. The swollen Mississippi…

Willard Marine, Inc. (WMI), a manufacturer of composite and aluminum boats for 57 years, announced the appointments of Bob Beck Jr. and Renée St. Lawrence to its sales team. Beck joins the WMI Sales and Training team with more than 24 years of experience in the U.S. Coast Guard where he held several ranks and also acted as the Supervisor of Coast Guard Units managing personnel, budgets and maintenance contracts. Upon retiring from the Coast Guard, Beck joined Zodiac as the Coast Guard Customer Support Manager and Director of the Maritime Training Academy…

The White House yesterday awarded three NOAA scientists with Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers. The award is the highest honor given by the federal government to outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers. Laboratory. The NOAA scientists are part of a group of 102 scientists from across federal agencies that received the prestigious award. “NOAA is home to some of the world’s leading scientific research and our scientists strive each day to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing our planet,” said NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D. “Through their research on improving sustainable fisheries management…

U.S.-flagged container ship ‘National Glory’  kicks off the new service when she departs Houston for San Juan May 29, 2013. The new 14-day service, which is being provided by National Shippers of America (NSA), is called "Isla Verde Express" and will provide customers with more transit options and supply chain flexibility in this "under-served" market, NSA officials say. Mississippi River have few options to move cargo to and from Puerto Rico without having to use an East Coast port," said Torey Presti, NSA president.

In order to manage wind generation in its real-time and day-ahead markets, the system operator for the New England area of the U.S., ISO New England Inc., has awarded GL Garrad Hassan a two-year contract to provide wind power forecasting services to all wind in the ISO’s footprint, including generation within the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. GL Garrad Hassan is in the beginning stages of this project for the ISO, with plans to begin first forecast delivery in 2012. Accurate forecasting is the key to the management of any generation source that inherently depends on the variability of the weather, requiring advanced short-term prediction of  generation to make it approach the manageability of conventional electricity sources.

American Electric Power has named Keith Darling president of AEP River Operations LLC. Darling, 60, will oversee all managerial and operating activities related to AEP River Operations, including sales, planning and budgeting, accounting, business development, logistics, operations and maintenance. He replaces Mark Knoy, who left the company. "Keith's river operations experience is both broad and deep, and he has a unique understanding of how our river operations fit with our broader corporate strategy," said Tim Light, senior vice president – Fuels, Emissions & Logistics. Darling has served as managing director of boat operations for AEP River Operations since 2002.

Many rivers in the upper Midwest and northern Plains remain above flood stage, and the threat for more flooding will continue through the summer, forecasters at NOAA’s National Weather Service said today. With rivers running high and soils completely saturated, just a small amount of rain could trigger more flooding, including areas that have already seen major to record flooding. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting above-normal rain in most of these vulnerable areas in the next two weeks, and above-normal rainfall in much of the region in the one- and three-month outlooks. Adding to the flood threat will be the rising temperatures over the Rockies, which will release the water from the remaining snowpack.

According to a Jan. 5 report from Reuters, Fog hampered shipping Monday afternoon along the central U.S. Gulf Coast. Houston, Galveston, Texas City and Beaumont and Port Arthur in Texas and Lake Charles, Louisiana were all affected. (Source: Reuters)

By Capt. In 2002 the globally operated Korean engineering and construction firm Daewoo E & C Co., Ltd., secured a project order from Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of Nigeria to construct a gas gathering plant on two concrete barges, to be positioned in the Awoba Creek near the Sambriero River. This gas gathering plant would be connected with a pipeline to the Cawthorne Channel Integrated Project (CCIP). The CCIP is a gas-gathering project, which is a big step forward in contributing to the "flare out" target date in 2008 of the numerous gas flares, as mandated by the Nigerian Government. On December 19 and 22, 2003, respectively, the Process Barge and the Control Barge were safely put on the underwater foundation in Awoba, and first gas is expected by Spring 2004.

Algae-X announced that AER Supply, based in Seabrook, Texas, has joined the ranks of Algae-X's Distribution network. AER Supply has a presence in a 14-state South Central U.S. territory, built over 30 years. AER Supply stocks a broad range of Algae-X Fuel Conditioning and Management products for immediate delivery.

When usability, reliability and durability are important for ship repair and maintenance applications, Arcon's Workhorse Stick/TIG welding machine is a strong solution. Designed for shipyard use, the machine employs electrical and mechanical technology proven reliable in over 100,000 machines sold and used worldwide. The Seahorse option protects against corrosive salt-water residue and proved effective in extensive use on oil rigs in the North Sea. Components are dipped and even encapsulated to resist harmful elements. From Bug-O Systems comes the Light'n Bug multipurpose burning and welding travel carriage that runs at precise speeds from four to 85 (IPM). This lightweight machine can produce high quality cuts and bevels, and uniform welds.