Opposite Bank News

Ukrainian railways have partially restricted cargo shipments to Ukraine's major Danube River port Izmail, which has been the target of Russian drone attacks in recent weeks, the railways said on Monday.The restrictions began on Sunday, the railways said in a statement.Russia has attacked Ukrainian ports on the Danube River with drones two nights in a row. The latest attack on the Danube River port of Izmail, in Ukraine's southern Odesa region, hit warehouses and production buildings…

River Brahmaputra from Dhubri to Sadiya was declared as National Waterway-2 (NW-2) in 1988. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) for NW-2 was prepared by the Howe Engineering Project (India), Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) and Water and Power Consultancy Services (India) Limited (WAPCOS). The interventions suggested in the DPR for development of fairway were bandalling, river training works and dredging. Besides suitable terminal locations were also identified. Accordingly, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has developed NW-2 for navigational purposes. At present NW-2 is fully operational with targeted depth of 2.5 m between Dhubri and Neamati; 2.0 m between Neamati and Dibrugarh and 1.5 m between Dibrugarh and Sadiya.

At least 33 people died in Bangladesh on Sunday when a passenger ferry capsized after colliding with a trawler on the river Padma with more than 100 people aboard, police said. Rescuers managed to save at least 50 passengers and were still searching for more survivors, regional police official Bidhan Tripura told Reuters. Low-lying Bangladesh, with extensive inland waterways and slack safety standards, suffers regular ferry disasters, with deaths sometimes running into the hundreds. The 33 bodies retrieved so far from the water include a baby, Tripura said. Police have seized the trawler and arrested two of its crew, he said. Another police team, assisted by firemen and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, is trying to salvage the ferry, he said.

Fifteen tonnes of a material used to make explosives have been seized in a town straddling the Suez Canal, the Egyptian army said on Wednesday, one of the biggest such hauls since the start of a campaign against Islamist militants in the nearby Sinai. Five tonnes of the material were seized in a truck in Al Qantara East on the eastern bank of the canal, leading to a second seizure of 10 tonnes of the same material held in storage at an undisclosed location in Al Qantara West, on the opposite bank. In a short statement, the army said the truck was being driven by two men from the town of El-Arish, which borders the Palestinian Gaza Strip at the eastern edge of the Sinai Peninsula. The army gave no further details.

Northern Transportation Company Ltd. of Hay River, Canada, recently completed a major refit of one of their quad screw pusher-towing tugs, the Edgar Kotokak. Vancouver's Robert Allan Ltd. provided design and engineering services for the refit which improved the operational efficiency of the tug. The refit included new CAT 3512B engines and replaced the open propellers and rudders with integrated Nautican Nozzles and Triple Rudders. Although total engine power increased from 4,500 to 5,640 hp on the Edgar Kotokak, and obviously bollard pull trials showed improvement, anecdotal evidence from the first month or so of operation seems to indicate that both the nozzles and Triple Rudders together with the new engines have improved the overall fuel efficiency.

The Bayou Country of Louisiana has a reputation as a place where great boats are built in small yards. When Richard Adams Sr. opened his Lockport Fabrication yard on the bank of Bayou Lafourche at Lockport in 1979 he became a part of that tradition. Now, at 72 years of age, he comes in every day to work with his son Richard “Dickie” Adams Jr. Over the years the two men have launched a lot of boats from their yard. Recently, when they launched the supply vessel Bertha D stern first, her166-foot length nearly reached to the opposite bank of the bayou. Designed by naval architect Frank Basil of Houma Louisiana for owners Supreme Services also of Houma, the boat has a 36-ft. beam and a 14-ft. molded depth. The hull is fabricated from 3/4 and 1/2-inch steel plate.