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.
Officers Elected at Port of Greater Baton Rouge
The board of commissioners for the Port of Greater Baton Rouge recently elected officers for 2014. Officers elected include Blaine Sheets, Ascension Parish, president; Clint Seneca, Iberville Parish, vice president; Corey Sarullo, Iberville Parish, secretary; and Bobby Watts, East Baton Rouge, treasurer. Blaine Sheets, president, is president of Specialized Industrial Maintenance in Gonzales and is a former member of the Board of Commissioners for the Pontchartrain Levee District. Clint Seneca, vice president, is the chief deputy assessor for the Iberville Parish Assessor's Office.
More Public Safety Dive Teams Employ Side Scan Sonar
More public safety dive teams are adding sonar to assist in their underwater search and recovery operations. Side scan is the ideal tool for these operations because it produces detailed images of the underwater environment regardless of water clarity. In addition, the sonar is able to search large areas quickly, scanning several hundred feet of ocean, lake, or river bottom with each pass of the boat. The sonar does this by transmitting an acoustic beam from a towfish which sweeps the bottom and reflects off any objects lying there.
USCG Responds to Barge Explosion
The Coast Guard is responding to a tank barge explosion on the Mississippi River near Sunshine, La., April 24. At approximately 3:30 p.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report from the Iberville Parish Fire Department of a barge explosion at the LBC Tank Terminals. The explosion was reported to have occurred while the barge was loading benzene. The IPFD reported the fire is out and that there were two injuries. The extent of those injuries is unknown. Air monitoring is being conducted, and a Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge 25-ft response boat, barge inspectors, and Coast Guard investigators have responded on scene. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is assisting the Coast Guard in its response efforts.
