Associated Branch Pilots News

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) officially kicked off the project to deepen of the Mississippi River Ship Channel to 50 feet Friday, as Weeks Marine’s cutterhead dredge Captain Frank started dredging 5 miles above the Head of Passes.The USACE awarded this first contract for the Ship Channel deepening to Weeks Marine on September 3, 2020, and the Captain Frank started the deepening Friday. The USACE awarded the second cutterhead dredge contract to Manson Construction on September 8, 2020. Manson’s cutterhead, the Robert M. White, is expected to begin deepening in late September.

Delta Launch Services, the operating company for the Associated Branch pilots on the SW Pass of the Mississippi, has taken delivery of a new pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. This is the sixth St. John’s Class launch built for the Delta pilots by the Somerset, Mass. shipyard.The new launch, a sister-ship to the Assistant delivered in 2018, measures of 52.6’ overall, with a beam of 16.11’ and a draft of 4.8’. The all-aluminum pilot boat features the Ray Hunt Designs Deep-V hull.

Delta Launch Services, the operating company for the Associated Branch pilots on the SW Pass of the Mississippi, has taken delivery of a new pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. The new 52-footer is the fifth St. John’s Class launch built by the Somerset, Mass. shipyard for the Delta pilots.The new all-aluminum launch, a sister-ship to the Mississippi Delta delivered in 2013, measures 52.6’ overall, with a beam of 16.11’ and a draft of 4.8’. The boat features the C.

Delta Launch Services, the operating company for the Associated Branch pilots on the SW Pass of the Mississippi, has ordered a new pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. Delivery of the new 52-footer, scheduled for 2018, is the fifth St. John’s Class launch built for the Delta pilots by the Somerset, Mass. shipyard. The new launch, a sister-ship to the Mississippi, delivered in 2013, measures of 52.6’ overall, with a beam of 16.11’ and a draft of 4.8’, the all-aluminum pilot boat features the C. Raymond Hunt-designed Deep V hull.

Cargo operations at Port of New Orleans terminals will continue as scheduled Friday, despite the impending closure of the Mississippi River at Southwest Pass due to potential affects from Tropical Storm Karen. The Associated Branch Pilots, the pilots that guide ships through the mouth of the Mississippi River, will cease operations at 6 a.m. Friday. Carnival Cruise Lines has two cruise ships scheduled to berth at the Erato Street Cruise Terminal this weekend. The 2,052-passenger Carnival Elation is scheduled to arrive at the Port Saturday…

Vessel traffic to vease at Southwest Pass at 6 a.m. Friday, but cargo operations at Port of New Orleans terminals will continue as scheduled Friday, despite the impending closure. The Associated Branch Pilots, the pilots that guide ships through the mouth of the Mississippi River, will cease operations at the above time. Carnival Cruise Lines has two cruise ships scheduled to berth at the Erato Street Cruise Terminal this weekend. The 2,052-passenger Carnival Elation is scheduled to arrive at the Port Saturday, while the 2,984-passenger Carnival Conquest is scheduled to arrive Sunday.

Raven Aerostar say that the Associated Branch Pilots of the Port of New Orleans (Bar Pilots) has selected its Traffic Management System. The system provides increased situational intelligence for Port of New Orleans ship pilots. Raven Aerostar's marine navigation aid systems are used by ship pilots in over a dozen ports in the U.S. The Bar Pilots recently ordered 35 Raven Traffic Management Systems, including the company's latest rate of turn sensor, Revolve. Revolve is a marine navigation aid developed by Raven Aerostar to enhance safety by enabling local ship pilots to better predict the future position of vessels as they maneuver waterways and ship traffic safely to dock. "This is our second purchase from Raven Aerostar," explained Capt.

Silt accumulation and dredging that's been postponed for years have prevented the full use of U.S. waterways and ports, maritime industry leaders said last month. Hundreds of U.S. ports and harbors are meant to be maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to foster navigation. But many of the country's channels are not kept at their authorized depths, and last year the backlog of needed dredging projects swelled. Meanwhile, just over half the fees charged to shippers through the federal Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund are spent on maintenance and operations…

As oil from BP's sub-sea well laps coastal Louisiana, most ships in the Gulf have avoided contact with the spill but owners fear that regulations will be tightened after the disaster, raising their costs. “We've seen no delays from the spill, and it hasn't affected the operations of any of our ships,” said Dean Taylor, president of Tidewater Inc. in late May. Four vessels owned by Tidewater, which is headquartered in New Orleans, have been involved in recovery efforts. The company's work boat Damon B.

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding has begun construction of its first water-jet-propelled pilot boat for the Galtex pilots in Galveston, Texas. Delivery is planned for March 2005. The shipyard is applying the experience of building more than 20 ferries with water jets to the new pilot boat. In selecting water jets over a traditional propeller-driven launch the Galtex pilots will avoid costly repairs to propellers and shafts from debris in Galveston harbor, particularly at high speeds…

Art Anderson Associates has been awarded a contract to design all-aluminum 52 ft. (15.8 m) pilot boat for Delta Launch Services of Pilottown, La. Besides ferrying pilots to and from ships, the vessel will be U.S. Coast Guard certified as a passenger vessel under subchapter T. It will be powered by twin Detroit Diesel 8V2000 engines, rated at 645-hp each via propellers. The pilot vessel, which is the first of its kind in the U.S., is modeled after the high-tech Stolkraft patented hull form. Subsequent to spending nearly two years scrutinizing this hull form by the Associated Branch Pilots of Pilottown, Stolkraft's attributes were confirmed when they traveled to Australia for a test ride on a similar boat operated by the Fremantle Pilots.

When a pilot learning to guide ships along the Mississippi River makes a mistake and crashes into a New Orleans wharf, the only thing that ends up damaged is his ego. That's because the mistakes happen in a ship simulator housed in an old movie theater in Covington, La. The $1 million simulator can place a pilot on the bridge of a ship anywhere along the river between the mouth of the Mississippi and Baton Rouge. Scenes projected on the walls of the simulator, located in what once was the old DeLuxe movie theater in downtown Covington across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, accurately depict every aspect of the 240 miles of waterway.