Ohio Valley News

A partially sunken towboat is discharging diesel fuel near Florence, Ala.The U.S. Coast Guard said on Monday it is responding to the incident alongside partner agencies after Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley received notification at approximately 2 p.m. Sunday from RMB Marine Services reporting the towboat Michael R had partially sank in the Port of Florence, adjacent to mile marker 257 on the Tennessee River.Pollution responders from Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Nashville…

Jennifer Carpenter has been president and CEO of The American Waterways Operators (AWO) in January 2020, but her time with the national trade association representing the inland and coastal tugboat, towboat and barge industry dates back to 1990. This month, she weighs in on top challenges and opportunities currently present in the industry, from difficult regulatory changes to the uptake of cleaner vessel technologies.What are some of the biggest and most important issues facing the tug, towboat and barge industry?Big picture, I feel like our industry has never been more relevant.

A section of the Ohio River was closed to vessel traffic on Tuesday due to towboat fire near Belleview, Ky.The U.S. Coast Guard said it issued a waterway restriction between mile marker 499 and mile marker 501 on the Ohio River after a fire reportedly broke out in the engine room aboard the towing vessel Capt. Kirby Dupuis.The vessel's crew was able to extinguish the fire with its fire suppression system, but a re-flash occurred, the Coast Guard said.Authorities said the fire has been extinguished, and its cause is being investigated.

The U.S. Coast Guard responded Thursday to the aground cruise vessel American Jazz near Canton, Kentucky."American Jazz is aground near mile marker 62 on the Cumberland River outside the ship channel and is carrying 120 passengers and 54 crew members," the U.S. Coast Guard said.Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley watchstanders received a call Thursday morning from American Cruise Lines stating their vessel American Jazz ran aground. A Coast Guard Station Paducah 29-foot Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water boat crew along with a Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Paducah marine investigator were launched to the scene."No damage, pollution, or injuries were reported. The Coast Guard is coordinating with American Cruise Lines to establish a salvage plan to dislodge the cruise vessel.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it is searching for a towboat crewman in the water in the Ohio River near Alton, Ind., Sunday.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley received a report around 12 p.m EST that a deckhand from a towing vessel had gone overboard without a life jacket, somewhere between mile marker 675 and mile marker 700.The male deckhand is described to be in his 50s, about 280 pounds, and 5 feet 10 inches tall.The Coast Guard is coordinating the search with local agency partners, including the Meade County Fire Department and Indiana Department of Conservation.

Subchapter M, the United States regulatory code dealing with towing vessels and requirements for towing vessel safety, has officially been in place since July 20, 2016, when the U.S. Coast Guard finalized Sub M rulemaking.Since the rules were finalized there have been a couple of important hammer dates. In spring and summer 2018 the first certificates of inspection (COI) were issued. COIs are central within the Sub M program. A vessel needs a COI to legally operate. (All vessels were required to comply with Sub M by July 20, 2018.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it is responding to a sunken towing vessel near mile marker 22 on the Tennessee River, Tuesday. The two crew members on board were able to evacuate safely.The nearby Kentucky Lock and Dam has ceased locking operations due to the incident.The Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector Ohio Valley received a report at approximately 10 p.m. Monday that the inspected towing vessel Tom Bussler capsized at mile marker 15 on the Tennessee River.Inspected towing vessel George Leavell was able to recover the two crewmembers who were on board and transferred them to Calvert City Landing where they were transported to Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, Ky. in stable condition.The sunken vessel reportedly has approximately 4,100 gallons of diesel on board.

The Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and Tennessee Valley Towing Company, the responsible party, are continuing their response to a tug and barge accident on the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky, Wednesday.The water at the McAlpine Dam rose approximately three feet over the course of the past 24 hours causing one additional barge to sink. Nine barges are currently lying on the dam just above the falls. Seven of the nine barges sank.The Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and the responsible party are working together to evaluate the ever-changing situation each day.

The Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and Tennessee Valley Towing Company, the responsible party, are continuing their response to a tug and barge accident on the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky, Thursday.The Coast Guard reopened the Ohio River to all vessel traffic from Twelve Mile Island to McAlpine Lock and Dam.Traffic movement is currently only permitted during daylight hours and with an assist vessel, which is available pre-stationed at McAlpine Lock and Dam.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley received a report at approximately 8:10 p.m.…

A section of the Ohio River near Louisville, Ky. has been closed to all vessel traffic after 15 loaded coal barges broke away from a towing vessel that made contact with a bridge in the area.The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector Ohio Valley received a report at approximately 8:10 p.m., Tuesday, that the towing vessel Debbie Graham, made contact with the 2nd Street Bridge, causing the 15 coal barges that it was pushing to break free. The cause of the incident is…

Insured losses in the United States from Hurricane Nate will be close to $500 million, catastrophe modelling company Karen Clark & Company (KCC) said on Monday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Monday that the former hurricane has become a post-tropical cyclone that continues to pack heavy rain and gusty winds. Hurricane Nate caused flooding in Mississippi, but spared the state from catastrophic damages. On Monday, it was expected to continue tracking northeastward, moving through the Ohio Valley and into the lower great lakes. KCC said the estimates included insured wind and storm surge losses to residential, commercial, and industrial properties and autos.

Former hurricane Nate has become a post-tropical cyclone that continues to pack heavy rain and gusty winds, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Monday.   The storm system is about 85 miles (135 km) northeast of Columbus, Ohio with maximum sustained winds of 20 mph (55 km/h), it said.   Nate was expected to continue tracking northeastward, moving through the Ohio Valley and into the lower great lakes on Monday.   Reporting by Vijaykumar Vedala

The remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy brought tornadoes and flooding to the U.S. Gulf Coast on Thursday and its heavy rains will drench much of the eastern United States in coming days, forecasters said. Flooding and road closures stretched from east Texas into northwestern Florida after Cindy made landfall early on Thursday near the Louisiana-Texas border and weakened to a tropical depression, the National Weather Service said. Cindy is expected to dump 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15 cm) of rain as it heads north and east into the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains through Saturday, said Brian Hurley, a weather service meteorologist. Totals could reach 9 inches (22.5 cm) in some areas. "We're looking at quite a bit of rain. That's going to be the main threat," he said.

The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a report of a barge breakaway at the Racine Lock and Dam on the Ohio River near Huntington, W.Va., Thursday. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley received a report that UTV Austin C. Settoon, pushing three barges loaded with approximately 3,780,000 gallons of natural gas condensate, allided with the lock wall at approximately 5:30 a.m. The barges subsequently broke away. One barge is contained in the lock while the remaining two barges are pinned against gates seven and eight of the dam, with the vessel pinned against gates six and seven. The Racine Lock and Dam is closed, creating a queue of 13 upbound vessels and 11 downbound vessels.

Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch reported to the GPA board Monday fiscal year to date growth of 4 percent for loaded container traffic, moving 1.01 million twenty-foot equivalent container units, an increase of 40,545 TEUs compared to the same period in 2015. In October, the GPA handled 251,566 loaded TEUs, an increase of 5,876 TEUs, or 2.4 percent, to set an all-time GPA record for the month. "I would like to thank our customers for their continued confidence, and congratulate our entire team on this record growth, achieved despite challenges related to Hurricane Matthew and the Hanjin bankruptcy," Lynch said. Also on Monday, the board approved $4.27 million for the Savannah Multimodal Connector, a rail project pivotal to expanding GPA's service frontier westward.

At the Georgia Ports Authority board meeting Monday, Executive Director Griff Lynch reported the GPA achieved an August record of 330,846 twenty-foot equivalent container units, a robust increase of 5 percent compared to August 2015. "August container unit volumes were the third highest in the Authority's history, behind April and May 2015 at the height of diverted cargo from the West Coast," Lynch said. Total cargo across all terminals reached 2.62 million tons in August, an increase of 117,470 tons, or 4.7 percent.

The U.S. Coast Guard continues to respond to an allision which occurred April 6 and resulted in a multiple-barge breakaway and two sunken barges on the Mississippi River near Thebes, Ill. The Army Corps of Engineers completed a survey of the navigational channel and reports the channel is clear. The Coast Guard Captain of the Port Ohio Valley is allowing transit of the safety zone with no restrictions. Salvage operations for the sunken barge in the middle of the channel at mile marker 42 began Sunday. Weather initially delayed the salvage, but teams were able to recover the sunken barge and move it outside the channel, Thursday. Salvage operations are ongoing outside the channel.

The U.S. Coast Guard siad it is continuing its response to an allision resulting in a barge breakaway on the Mississippi River near Thebes, Ill., Wednesday. An Incident Command Post has been established at Marine Safety Unit Paducah. Lt. Cmdr. Heather Stratton is the Incident Commander. It was initially stated that the closure was from mile marker 44 to mile marker 30 on the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River is now closed to all traffic from mile marker 44 to mile marker 20, with the exception of authorized vessels involved in the incident. Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley watchstanders received a call after the tow vessel Michael G. Morris allided with the Thebes Railroad Bridge at approximately 5 a.m., Wednesday. The allision caused all 30 barges loaded with grain to breakaway.

The Coast Guard has issued a number of river closures, restrictions and advisories in response to floods in the midwest. To keep the public and professional mariners apprised of changes to river traffic, the 8th District will continue to issue press releases capturing all closures and restrictions throughout this period of high water and flooding. * The Coast Guard Captain of the Port has re-opened the Mississippi River surrounding the St. Louis Harbor from mile marker 179 to mile marker 185. Vessels operating in this area must be in compliance with horsepower and barge restrictions in accordance with the Western Rivers Waterways Action Plan. * Illinois River is open to traffic. The Coast Guard recommends that mariners transit the river in daylight hours only.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a number of river closures, restrictions and advisories in response to floods in the Midwest and South. Illinois River is open to traffic. The Coast Guard recommends that mariners transit the river in daylight hours only. The Missouri River is open to vessel traffic. The Coast Guard urges mariners to monitor VHF-FM channels 16 and 22 for any changes to the river. For more details on the closures set in place by Sector Upper Mississippi River call the command center at 314-269-2610. The Paducah-Louisville railroad bridge at mile marker 94.8 on Green River requires one-hour notice for opening. The Louisville-Nashville Swing Bridge at mile marker 190.4 on Cumberland River is closed. A safety advisory is in place from mile marker 110 to mile marker 0.

The United States Coast Guard has issued a number of river closures, restrictions and advisories in response to floods in the Midwest. To keep the public and professional mariners apprised of changes to river traffic, the 8th District will continue to issue press releases capturing all closures and restrictions throughout this period of high water and flooding. Upper Mississippi River closed between mile markers 184 and 179 near St. Louis, Missouri. Illinois River closed between mile markers 0 to 50 from Hardin, Illinois to Grafton, Illinois. For more details on the closures set in place by Sector Upper Mississippi River call the command center at 314-269-2610. Restrictions on Mississippi River from mile marker 110, near Chester Illinois, to mile marker 34, near Billings Landing, Missouri.

The Coast Guard has issued a number of river closures, restrictions and advisories in response to floods in the Midwest. To keep the public and professional mariners apprised of changes to river traffic, the 8th District will continue to issue press releases capturing all closures and restrictions throughout this period of high water and flooding. * Upper Mississippi River closed between mile markers 184 and 179 near St. Louis, Missouri. * Illinois River closed between mile markers 0 to 50 from Hardin, Illinois to Grafton, Illinois. Mississippi River call the command center at 314-269-2610314-269-2610 FREE FREE. * Restrictions on Mississippi River from mile marker 110, near Chester Illinois, to mile marker 34, near Billings Landing, Missouri.

The Coast Guard has issued a number of river closures and restrictions in response to floods in the Midwest. To keep the public and professional mariners apprised of changes to river traffic, the 8th District will continue to issue press releases capturing all closures and restrictions throughout this period of high water and flooding. Upper Mississippi River closed between mile markers 184 and 179 near St. Louis, Missouri. Illinois River closed between mile markers 0 to 50 from Hardin, Illinois to Grafton, Illinois. Restrictions on Mississippi River from mile marker 110, near Chester Illinois, to mile marker 34, near Billings Landing, Missouri.