Tank Barge Damages Marina in Port of Memphis
On Saturday night the Coast Guard Command Center in Memphis was notified by the towing vessel A. DEAN HEASLEY that one of the two barges they were towing had struck the Riverside Park Marina. Coast Guard investigators were dispatched to the scene of the accident. The marina sustained significant damage but no injuries were reported. The marina holds many houseboats and is home to approximately 60 people. Many of the boats were affected by the accident with one reported to be taking on water. The two tank barges, which were empty at the time of the accident, were being towed to the refinery in the port for a scheduled loading. West-Northwest winds of 15 mph were reported last night and may have been a factor in the casualty.
Cumberland Yacht Harbor Awarded Grant
The Cumberland Yacht Harbor, a planned waterfront community and marina under development near downtown Nashville, is the recipient of a $376,172 Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. According to an announcement from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Cumberland Yacht Harbor is one of only 10 projects nationwide to receive a BIG grant, which is funded by the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund to provide additional facilities for recreational boaters. The grant received by The Cumberland Yacht Harbor, in cooperation with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, will be used to construct a 680-foot dock, 20 boat slips, and restrooms for boaters, as well as dredging access to the marina.
Port of Memphis Exercises Security Plans
The Coast Guard, partnered with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies as well as many of the key port players, exercised risk management strategies aimed at protecting the city and the Port of Memphis. The exercise was led by the DHS Protective Security Advisor for the Memphis District, Mr. Greg Innis. The exercise participants included representatives from Coast Guard, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Office of Homeland Security, Tennessee and Shelby County Emergency Management Agencies, Memphis Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff's Department, U.S. Attorney's Office, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Port Commission, Railroad Police and many local facility security officers.
Y2K Conference Held In New York
"What you're seeing now, is a 'flight to quality,'" said Rear Admiral George Naccara, of the USCG, at the Y2K Luncheon held in New York last month. The Y2K Luncheon, sponsored by the Maritime Association of the Port of New York and New Jersey, brought together individuals from three main sectors of the shipping industry, to discuss what steps each had made in designing and implementing a plan to ensure computer systems were "Y2K" (or Year 2000) compliant. John Hill, director of the Application Development Division of U.S. According to Hill, the initial plan was for approximately 180,000 work-hours of programming and testing. Already, he said, the total had exceeded 200,000 work-hours of effort to reprogram the systems. Close to $12 million in expenditures have been necessary.
