The Industrial Canal News

An estimated 3,500 gallons of used lubricant oil that spilled near Calcasieu Point Landing, in Louisiana, has been contained, U.S. Coast Guard officials said in a statement on Tuesday.The discharge, reported on Monday, was discovered to have escaped from the secondary containment at Martin Energy Services, the Coast Guard told Reuters in an emailed statement."The source of the spill has been secured and the oil has been contained with boom along the banks of the Lake Charles Industrial…

The National WWII Museum announced plans to return restored patrol-torpedo (PT) boat PT-305 to her home waters of Lake Pontchartrain, where she was originally tested by Higgins Industries more than 70 years ago. The Museum launched the first phase of the plan this morning: a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds necessary to move PT-305 to the water, test her for passenger use and, for the first time, offer civilians the chance to take a ride on a fully restored combat-veteran PT boat – the fastest U.S. naval ship in World War II.

Today, Gov. Bobby Jindal and IT Minerals LLC CEO Jose Domene announced a $4.5 million capital investment by the company in Louisiana, where IT Minerals will establish an importing, processing and exporting facility at the Port of New Orleans for minerals sourced from Mexico and other countries. The project will create 12 new direct jobs with an average annual salary of $34,000 a year, plus benefits. LED estimates the project will result in an additional 28 new indirect jobs, for a total of 40 new jobs in the Southeast Region. IT Minerals is a manufacturer of lightweight aggregates and fillers for polymer-based products; construction products; and insulation, filtration, textile, cryogenic, horticulture and gardening products. Gov.

A damaged lock on the New Orleans Industrial Canal is creating traffic delays on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW), as well as parts of the Mississippi River. The stretch of river is used heavily for oil and bulk transport and the GIWW is also one of the most heavily used inland waterways in the nation.The Industrial Canal Lock has been closed for emergency repairs since January 3. Repairs are expected to take until at least January 17. The Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association estimates that the closure could ultimately cost users as much as $1 million per day. The lock, more than 90 years old, requires custom parts to replace equipment that is no longer manufactured. The U.S.

What is the duty of a vessel owner when his vessel sinks and becomes a hazard? What is a facility’s duty when it comes to vessels at their docks? On top of the oil, wreckage, and loss of use, there are legal duties and penalties for parties associated with the vessel – under relevant federal and state statutes – after it sinks. It’s the call that most owners/operators do not like to get: their vessel is partially submerged at a dock or in some navigable waterway and poses a threat to navigation.

In the more than two years since its founding, Mississippi-based TY Offshore, the former Trinity Offshore, has invested in a new yard in Gulfport and repaired its storm-damaged New Orleans holdings. The company has doubled its capacity and racked up new orders, president and CEO John Dane III said. TY Offshore designs and builds offshore barges, tugs, oilfield-support vessels and spill-response and patrol vessels. The company's new name, adopted in late June, should make business simpler. “We decided to rebrand for two reasons,” Dane said.

“The 2008 financial crash slowed  the luxury business, and the new class warfare coming out of Washington has made owning a large yacht out of favor. In the more than two years since its founding, Mississippi-based TY Offshore, the former Trinity Offshore, has invested in a new yard in Gulfport and repaired its storm-damaged New Orleans holdings. The company has doubled its capacity and racked up new orders, president and CEO John Dane III said. TY Offshore designs and builds offshore barges, tugs, oilfield-support vessels and spill-response and patrol vessels. The company's new name, adopted in late June, should make business simpler. “We decided to rebrand for two reasons,” Dane said.

United States Marine Inc., a shipbuilding company that moved its headquarters to Gulfport, Miss. after Hurricane Katrina, has returned to the New Orleans. In November 2007, the company leased space along the Industrial Canal in New Orleans from Trinity Yachts Inc. The company now is using the New Orleans yard to construct a line of military vessels bound for the Middle East nation of Bahrain. United States Marine's headquarters will remain in Mississippi while its new Industrial Canal space will serve as a second location. The company shares Trinity's equipment and work force, which it is using to complete a $22m contract with the U.S. Navy to build two vessels that will ultimately be used by Bahrain.

The Industrial Canal in New Orleans is aptly named. Connecting a tributary of Mississippi River with Lake Pontchartrain, it is much like a boulevard of broken dreams. Remnants of old shipyards, coffee-roasting facilities operating at half capacity and areas where the oil boom flourished and died dot the banks of the canal. Trinity Yachts, that has suddenly become the 800 lb. Gorilla of the megayacht business. Trinity Yachts was once a part Friede Goldman Halter Company, that corporate experiment that proved you couldn't put an oilrig builder and a boat builder together and get a company that meshes together. Trinity Yachts and was one of the first pieces of the company to be sold off.

Bisso Marine Co. has completed the salvage operation of a sunken drll rig at the Halter Gulf Repair Industrial Canal facility in New Orleans, La. The 145 x 97 x 22 ft. vessel sank 20 years ago, and had resisted many previous salvage attempts by other salvors. The rig was constructed with two 18 ft. diameter pontoons, which were connected by a substantial floor and interior bracing arrangement. Bisso's salvage plan called for cutting the 860 ton wreck into three sections, in order to lift each section from multiple sling points, due to its deteriorated condition. Each section was placed onto a deck barge and safely transported from the derricks to a local scrap yard for offloading and disposal.

Nichols Brothers Boatbuilders are building a highspeed catamaran ferry for San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation district. Designed by International Catamaran Designs (INCAT) of Sydney Australia, this will be Nichols Brothers 27th U.S. built highspeed catamaran. The vessel will be 139 ft. overall with a 34-ft. beam and draft of 9 ft. The individual hulls will have a beam of 9 ft.. A 37-knot speed is predicted with four 16-cylinder Cummins KTA50-M2 main engines delivering 1,600 hp each at 1800 rpm. Each IMO emission certified engine will drive a Hamilton model 571 water jet through a ZF Marine BU 460D marine gear. Electrical service will be provided by a 125 kW generator set powered by a Cummins Marine 6CT8.3DM engine.

Bisso Marine Co. Inc. recently salvaged the overturned R&B Falcon Rig 55. When Bisso salvage crews arrived at the rig, the vessel was at a 72-degree angle on its starboard side with the hull settled into the natural bottom 22 ft. The upper level drill floor penetrated below the mud line 8 ft. After a complete survey of the situation, the salvage plan called for divers to hand-jet 4-ft. wide tunnels beneath the vessel. Next, 100-ft. steel straps were pulled under the vessel and used to upright the rig. Several compartments along the port side were used as leverage, and repairs were made at the deck gunwale along the inside of the Key Way where the well head had breached the hull.

Trinity Yachts, has recently re-opened their original shipyard, located on the Industrial Canal in the Eastern section of New Orleans, Louisiana. The 38 acre yard with almost 10 acres of covered building area suffered badly from the effects of the hurricane water and almost 70% of the work force lost their homes. After partial power, rudimentary communications and general infrastructure returned to the yard and using many local employees to continue the clean-up and repairs, Trinity officially re-opened its doors on July 5th. Fortunately because the New Orleans shipyard is above sea level and located outside of New Orleans levee system, it was not exposed to the weeks of flooding most of the city endured.

According to reports, the Port of New Orleans is in dire need of federal and state aid to save some of its most damaged operations and businesses, the port's president and chief executive told the maritime industry in his annual state of the port address. Gary LaGrange said the port is in a battle to retain the nine maritime businesses that operate along the Industrial Canal, a 1,000-acre tract of port property that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Together the businesses generated about 9,000 indirect jobs, LaGrange said. At least one of them probably will have to relocate soon, he said. The port does have several things to celebrate, he said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its contractor, GCR & Associates, Inc., won a national planning award involving the $585 million industrial canal lock replacement. The award was presented at a luncheon at the Radisson Hotel during the Federal Planning Division's annual conference in New Orleans, La. The community planning process developed by the Corps and Metairie-based GCR was cited by the Federal Planning Division of the American Planning Association as the "outstanding non-military federal planning project" of 2001.

The USACE, New Orleans District has hired a team to help implement a $33 million Community Impact Mitigation Plan for Industrial Canal lock-replacement in New Orleans. The team members include: Gregory C. Rigamer & Assoc., Inc. (GCR), Metairie, the prime contractor; Metro-Source L.L.C., New Orleans; College of Urban and Public Affairs, University of New Orleans; and Habitat for Humanity, New Orleans. The amount of the contract with GCR is for $612,915. Optional phases, if exercised, could bring the contract total to $2.1 million. The contractor will not be paid out of the $33 million mitigation funds. The GCR team will take the lead in establishing a community-based Mitigation Committee and develop a needs assessment. This process will identify specific projects for mitigation.

The USACE has begun construction on the $585-million replacement of the navigation lock on the Industrial Canal in New Orleans and is now enlisting community leadership to scope out a mitigation plan. Community input is needed because Congress not only approved the construction of a larger, modern lock, but also approved a $35 million Community Impact Mitigation Plan to be carried out during the 10 to 12 years of mitigation. "This project is moving forward after controversy and large, expensive changes - including the mitigation plan - made by the USACE in response to the community," said Col. Thomas Julich, commander, New Orleans District.

The USACE, New Orleans District has hired a team to help implement a $33 million Community Impact Mitigation Plan for Industrial Canal lock-replacement in New Orleans. · Gregory C. Rigamer & Assoc., Inc. The amount of the contract with GCR is for $612,915. Optional phases, if exercised, could bring the contract total to $2.1 million. The contractor will not be paid out of the $33 million mitigation funds. The GCR team will take the lead in establishing a community-based Mitigation Committee and develop a needs assessment. This process will identigy specific projects for mitigation. The mitigation plan is part of the $568 million replacement of the obsolete navigation lock on the Industrial Canal in New Orleans. Construction is scheduled to begin this autumn.

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued the following status report on ports affected by Hurricane Katrina: Port of New Orleans: Operational to 42 feet Port of Fourchon: Operation to 24 feet Port of Gulfport: Operational to 30 feet Port of Biloxi: Operational to 9 feet Port of Pascagoula: Operational to 36 feet Port of Mobile: Operational to 43 feet Port of Fourchon: Operational to 24 feet The Industrial Canal is open east of the Cowan/Lorraine bridge. All major interstate crude oil, refined product, and natural gas transmission pipelines are operating Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) operating at 75% capacity. Numerous reports of oil and gas leaks in the Gulf of Mexico. Some of these may be from pipelines. Damage assessments have not yet been conducted.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Mississippi River is now open in one direction to ships with a draft of 35 feet during daylight hours. Now that a route has been re-established to the Port of New Orleans and other ports on the lower Mississippi River, the port is bringing together all of the pieces that will allow it to be a major force in the reconstruction of New Orleans. "The Port of New Orleans' riverfront terminals survived Hurricane Katrina in fairly decent shape," said Port President and CEO Gary LaGrange. "In the next several weeks, almost all of the Port of New Orleans will be dedicated to military relief vessels. He added that many repairs will be needed though to bring the Port back to full capacity.

There are a few top executives in the marine industry who "know when to hold them and when to fold them." Their insightfulness is legendary … always seeming to know the exact time to make a move professionally or personally. One of those people is John Dane III, president of Trinity Yachts LLC of New Orleans. Dane has a long and storied background in the marine industry, first as a engineer with Halter Marine, later as owner of Moss Point Marine, which was sold to Halter at which time Dane became president. When rig maker Friede Goldman purchased Halter, Dane became president but instinctively knew this was going to be a rough road.

The USACE has started driving test pilings beside the Industrial Canal Lock in New Orleans, the first step in building a new lock at the site. During the month of January, the USACE plans to drive seven 64-78 ft. long pilings at the site to provide engineering data needed for the lock construction. The tests should determine how many piles are needed and the noise level that can be expected from the project. This is a first step in the $585 million project to build a new modern lock at the canal. Even if no further delays are experienced, construction on the project is expected to last well into next decade.