SJS Stevedoring Blog Series

The Model 8 Cranes Have Arrived

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:02:11 GMT

As most of you know, we had commissioned the building of two new cranes and chronicled the building of these cranes here: https://sites.google.com/a/sjstevedore.com/birth-of-a-crane. Watching the new cranes being built was an interesting and anxious endeavor for us here at St. James. We were all eager to see them come together and to put them into the mix. While it seemed like a slow process to our anxious eyes, in all actuality, our capable team along with the Gottwald crew from Germany, assembled the two cranes in record time.(!) To the crews, this was no big deal – even expected, after all, this is the eighth time the two groups have collaborated to build one (in this case- two) of these trend-setting cranes.

These two new cranes, named in typical SJS style after two long tenured employees, the C.J. L and the Kevin D went into production on December 21 loading the coal vessel Maria. This was a fitting first vessel as it gave us a chance to try out our new larger 61 yard buckets.

These two cranes are the next generation of Gottwald cranes and are the first Series 8s in operation on the LMR. 2012 is poised to bring more innovations from St. James, but for now, we welcome the first two of these innovations – The C.J. L and the Kevin D.

Birth of a SJS Crane

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:04:18 GMT

Birth of an SJS Crane

We’re at it again… we’re leading the pack and building two more cranes to add to our operational capability. These two cranes we’re adding are the next generation of cranes as built by the Gottwald crane company and they are among the most technologically advanced cranes in the world. In addition to being technologically advanced, they are also higher capacity thereby allowing us to continue offering the most efficient service available.

Also true to form for St. James, in being innovators in the stevedoring world, we are bringing a new technology and capability to the US – the ability to weigh commodities as they are being loaded. St. James will be working closely with Gottwald and US agencies to ensure this new system conforms to US Dept of Weights and Measures standards for international trading. This advanced system will be on the crane itself and will therefore not require the use of a hopper or belt system, thereby, removing the potential problems that come with such a process such as breakdowns, bottlenecks and etc…

St. James timeliness is another benefit to our customers as we are increasing the capacity and availability of crane power at just the right time in this currently tight market ongoing in the maritime business. Our goal is to have BOTH of the cranes in use by the end of the year!

Finally, as part of this process, we thought you might find it interesting to see what we are referring to as the “birth of a crane”, whereas we are chronicling with a photo journal, the building of one of our cranes and the ancillary equipment that goes along with them so that you can see the cranes in a way that you have never before – from pieces of metal to a finished product. This may become a permanent part of our website – but meanwhile you can see the progress here:

https://sites.google.com/a/sjstevedore.com/birth-of-a-crane

St. James Nominated for two IBJ awards!

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 08:15:48 GMT

Breaking News…

St. James Stevedoring has been nominated and have become finalists in two categories of the 2011 IBJ Awards as conducted by the International Bulk Journal. When notifying us as a finalist, IBJ publisher, Ray Girvan, noted to St. James…”The number of entries has been incredible, a record number, and we anticipate that this year’s ceremony in Antwerp will be our biggest and best ever, further confirming IBJ Award’s position as the maritime bulk industry’s “Night of the Year”… Winners are announced at the ceremony itself by the category sponsors (just like the “Oscars”, nobody knows the winner until the golden envelope is opened)… It’s a great night out for the industry.”

We are honored and proud to be nominated and to be nominated two categories is just outstanding. The two nominations were in the following categories:

“Best Specialist Dry Bulk or Port Terminal” and “Innovative Technology Award”

As our customers know, we have always strived to provide the best service available anywhere and that we have injected innovation all along the way.

Thanks to you, it seems the word is getting around!!

Birth of the Mid Stream Buoy System

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:54:14 GMT

In the early 1980’s Mr. Gil Chatagnier, now President of Lanier and Associates Consulting Engineers

www.lanier-engineers.com, was instrumental in designing the midstream buoy systems which have become ubiquitous on the lower Mississippi River as the most efficient way to transfer cargo between barges and ships. In fact most of the midstream mooring systems currently in operation on the river were designed by Gil.

Gil recently provided us with a copy of an article he authored for “Ports 83” in 1983, describing the design and construction of midstream mooring facilities. While the cost data and crane size and production rates have changed greatly in the past 28 years – Gil’s basic design remains the standard. We are indebted to Gil and Lanier and Associates for permitting us to reproduce the article below.
Ports83v3.pdf

High Water on the Mississippi - An Open Letter to Our Customers

Sat, 14 May 2011 11:07:46 GMT

An open letter to our customers,

As I’m sure you are all aware, we are experiencing unprecedented high water issues here on the Mississippi river. You are all also likely hearing about facility and fleet shut downs and seeing declarations of Force Majeure surface across the industry, and I know you can’t help but feel as though you are facing an uncertain outcome of your ongoing movements here on the Mississippi river. Therefore, it has become important for us to reach out to our customers to let you know what we are observing firsthand and our outlook in light of this information and to reassure you that we are watching the events and are working diligently to provide consistent and ongoing service to you- on the water and from the office. It is important to keep in mind that here at SJS, safety is our primary concern – we feel we have amassed the best group of folks on the river and we want to keep them and keep them safe.

That being said, we feel as though it is still safe to continue our operations. At this point, we plan to continue operating 24-7 as long as able/allowed. It, of course, will be at a slower pace than you, our customers, are accustomed to receiving from SJS. However, rest assured that we are focused on the job at hand and that we will methodically move forward in an effort to honor our commitments to you. In return we ask for your understanding and patience in this unprecedented time.

For our customers with active movements in progress or upcoming in the short term, you may want to check with your barge lines on their projected availability during that time. Noting that, barge companies that are still operating, are operating at a much slower pace than usual due to having to use more horsepower to get the job done in addition to fleet space being scarce, with some having stopped accepting barges at all. There are also currently a number of facilities that have suspended operations until the historically high water has subsided.

Although it has not happened yet, there have been indications that the USCG may limit or totally suspend navigation on the LMR, possibly starting this Sunday (5/15) by limiting deep draft vessels from entering/exiting or moving within the river, and just as importantly, the possibility that all navigation could be shut down by Wednesday 5/18.

Meanwhile it is important to consider this information when making your determination of the timing of your vessel hire in that you may expose yourself to risk if your vessel is unable to be serviced due to unavailability of barges or by the USCG restricting/halting navigation on the water.

That being said, there is light at the end of the tunnel in that the river is supposed to crest around May 24. After which it will take some time to clear the log jam as the water subsides.

Again, no matter what the potentialities are, our aim is to hold hands during this process to make sure everyone is in the loop of happenings to ensure we all are making the best possible choices for the current situation.

Lastly, it is important for you to know that we recognize the importance of taking every step to ensure your business gets completed as expeditiously as possible. Your commodities are serviced to and from places all over the world, many of which who have little understanding of the Mississippi river, and care of its events even less. This is one of the reasons SJS has never taken lightly the use of Force Majeure. We didn’t declare it for hurricanes Katrina, Ike or Gustav. As a matter of fact, we haven’t declared it at all in our 25 year history.
We pray that there will not be a time when we have to…and until then, we’re open and ready for business.

Kindest Regards,

The St. James Stevedoring Team

Terminaling, Land Development and Management Services – We’re More Than Just A Stevedore

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 10:23:55 GMT

St. James has offerings in terminal services which, by utilizing our assets to serve you in situation, can open your facility to new business and new customers all at a fraction of the cost to acquire the equipment alone. With this equipment comes the same experienced Management, Operations, Logistics and Maintenance teams that have turned St. James into the premiere stevedore on the Lower Mississippi.

Our teams have conceptualized, designed, and carried out projects which have opened up new markets for our customers. While some of our projects have saved our customers millions of dollars by implementing unique designs, other projects have solved logistical issues and provided a clear path for direct shipping to their customers- not only saving money, but creating new areas of cash flow. And it doesn’t stop there...

St. James also manages facilities – in whole or in part. We can manage your entire facility or just the dock and anything in between. Equipment and assets alone cannot build a thriving company- smart and effective management with a “let’s make it happen” attitude is what is needed, and that’s exactly what St. James offers. Tell us what your objectives are and we will put our think tank to work to help solve your transportation, commodity handling, and facilities management needs. Don’t know what you need? Let our experienced team come up with the solution to your issue. Our management team has over 150 years of experience working here in the facilities and commodity handling and transportation fields here on the lower Mississippi.

Our work in these arenas have moved us up and down the Mississippi and beyond. With a recent project having us working out of Corpus Christi, Texas for well over a year with equipment and manpower fully supplied by St. James, our technologically advanced mobile cranes and systems and our management capabilities were put to the test and yielded splendid results. Fleet Manager of the facility where the project was conducted, who is responsible for the traffic and logistics of the entire facility, noted: “…with SJS having made good on its promises to meet daily tonnage commitments, the facility extended the use of SJS”... “We had another group in here and they just couldn’t handle the volumes we needed, this equipment you guys brought in was amazing, it was a hell of a performance”. Additionally, as a direct reflection of St. James management of the project, noted the Project Director of the facility “…This was a tough project and the bottom line was you guys got the job done. The service and responsiveness from your group was impressive.” See this article written about St. James' Corpus Project for G Solutions magazine. (link)

St. James also offers land development and build to suit services. Having over 375 acres of land with direct access to the Mississippi river, the CN rail and major highways and interstates, St. James properties come within 1000’ feet of Nucor’s Convent property- these properties represent the best value with the biggest potential for growth in the River Parish region. Additionally, St. James can provide management of those assets as well.

Barges, Ships and Floating Cranes on the Mississippi River- What’s in a name?

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 16:29:12 GMT

Barges, Ships and Floating Cranes on the Mississippi River- What’s in a name?

If you’ve spent any amount of time on the Mississippi River, you surely have noticed that virtually every vessel, boat, or other watercraft has been given a name… but what’s in a name?

In most cases, the name is of some female family member of the boat’s owner, such as a wife, mother or daughter, granddaughter etc... To a lesser extent, you will find the name of a male family member – father, grand father, etc… and of course you will also see the unimaginative, unfeeling corporate type names where the vessel is basically given a number or some soulless buzzword from the company slogan. Weed through all of those and you will then find the floating gems of the river.

The gems you say? Indeed. Just like the gems of plantations that dot the riverbank of the mighty Mississippi, they represent the make up of our very culture, each and every one has a story to tell and a history that’s rich in the way of life on the river; the blood, sweat and tears of the industrial revolution that made the river regions, and the United States, what it is today. These gems are the vessels or other craft that are named after one of the hard working men and women who have given so much of themselves to a company, their country and families – day in, day out, year after year and have gone the extra mile and made the difference. It is those types of people from within our own organization who have been the lifeblood of the company and who we wish to honor with the naming of our lifeblood equipment.

Alex G and Don D -the founders of the company. After both working for Burnside Terminal for a number of years, these two visionaries knew they could offer a superior service over what was available in the stevedoring market, so, the two hatched out a business plan on the back of a cocktail napkin over a beer one evening and St. James was born. Unable to float the loan needed to finance the company start-up, they rented cranes by the hour and reinvested the money earned to build the business.

Miss Irene- St. James’ first employee. Still here today, Miss Irene is recognized as the “Mama” of the SJS family. After leaving a state job to come to work for SJS, she had to re-think the move when the first two questions from company co-founder Alex Goldberg were: “Can you put up with the cussin’?” and “Do you mind if you don’t get paid?” We are all thankful to Miss Irene for sticking it out.

Gene H- Gene has been with the company from the beginning too. He worked part time before becoming full time in December of 1985. Even today, Gene’s hard work and dedication and willingness to go the extra mile is always accompanied with a smile and kind word for all. When stretching our operations to Corpus Christi, TX, Gene went the literal extra miles to supervise the operation.

Mr. Chuck-

Employed with SJS since May of 1986, Chuck Rogers – better known as Mr. Chuck, is a top notch crane operator who has logged in countless valuable hours handling the commodities of our customers. Mr. Chuck has been working on the Mississippi River since getting out of the military, in 1966.

Hank S-

With his physically fit and imposing stature, Hank’s been with the company since February of 1987. At one of SJS annual Crawfish Boils, Hank was hit in the head by a hard thrown baseball- he briefly rubbed his head and kept on with the game. To this day, Hank brings this same attitude of tenacity and perseverance to his work here at SJS.

Mr. Joe-

Virtually a legend on the river, Joe Myers had 36 years of experience before he started working for SJS! All who know Joe know that he is the eternal jokester – with the exception of when it comes time to get his guys to perform for our customers. Our customers, as well as ourselves, are all beneficiaries of Joe’s vast experience. We are truly appreciative of the know-how he has provided for the company.

Here at SJS this standing tradition of naming our lifeblood equipment after the lifeblood employees of our company as a way to honor them will continue – and thanks to our hard working troops ,we have no shortage of quality employees to fill in the names as we strive to continue to grow the business they have worked so hard to cultivate thus far.

To these employees and to all of our employees yet to become namesakes…Thank You.

Stevedoring - Mid Stream Transloading on the Lower Mississippi and Hurricanes

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:24:55 GMT

So how have hurricanes affected midstream stevedores on the Mississippi River? What a complex question. Every hurricane season is different and every storm has its own peculiarities. Midstream, dry bulk cargo transloading has its own set of peculiarities which determine the impact of a particular storm.

Midstream operations take place on the Mississippi River between Mile 54, Above Head of Passes (AHP), and Baton Rouge. This ~150 mile length of corridor means that most hurricanes will only impact a smaller subset of all midstream operations. During a massive storm such as Hurricane Katrina, serious damage to facilities and residences occurred from the mouth of the river up to Reserve, Louisiana, Mile 138 AHP. St. James’ midstream operations were located further up-river from the area of significant damage and were able to go back into operation and assist with rescue and recovery work the day after Hurricane Katrina passed.

Yet with every storm there are predictable impacts which, at minimum, can be expected.

The initial impact felt by the midstream operator comes as the storm is approaching. Because midstream operations depend on barge fleets and tugboat operations, the length of time required by these operators to secure their fleets determines when operations cease. Tie down preparations usually begin in earnest about 48 hours before the projected landfall of the storm. During this period, St. James returns its rigs to its “wire” where the cranes are secured in preparation for the storm. All loose objects are removed or tied down. Buckets and mobile equipment are secured. The cranes are fastened together in a block with multiple cables and ropes. St. James uses a combination of shore wires, lines, spud barges, and buoys to secure its cranes.

The Bar Pilots are usually the first to feel the effects of a storm. When sea conditions become hazardous the Bar Pilots shut down the movement of vessels into and out of the Mississippi River. When this happens, many facilities begin ordering vessels to depart their berths. This leads to congestion of anchorage slots and eventually the halting of all traffic. In the past the Coast Guard has issued river closures at different times for different sections of the lower Mississippi River. But as a practical matter, availability of anchorage spaces and even the availability of launch services to transport the pilots to ships have been deciding factors.

As the storm approaches, the Coast Guard implements more restrictions, eventually shuting down the river.

During the actual storm the conditions of the cranes are monitored, though safety of personnel is the paramount concern. Basically, everyone hunkers down and prays – Not much can be done.

After the storm passes, the conditions of the cranes are assessed immediately. Communications with employees commence to determine their current status and situation. When a sufficient number of employees are gathered, untying can operations commence. Actual resumption of operations depends on the Coast Guard opening the river and the availability of barge fleet and tugboat services to move cranes and barges.

By definition, midstream stevedoring operations are independent and self-supporting. A midstream operation is effectively an island in the middle of the Mississippi River. As long as the floating cranes are not damaged and the crews can reach the cranes, midstream operations like St. James can return to work as soon as the US Coast Guard “opens” the river for boat operations. As an example, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina surrounding communities were without power for weeks. St. James, however, went back to work a day after the storm hit. Greater impact during Hurricane Gustav meant that the river was closed in the St. James area for about 5 days.

St. James has several strategies to mitigate the effects of a storm:

First, in the wake of a storm, gasoline shortages usually occur. St. James has an onsite fuel depot which allows us to provide emergency fuel to employees. This can be used both for fueling their vehicles as well as small generators that provide temporary power for their homes until the power grid can be repaired. Prior to a hurricane, our cranes are fully fueled so that we will have a window of 10 days during which we can operate after the storm. Refueling can be accomplished either from barge or in an emergency directly from truck.

Secondly, communications is a critical focus area for a successful recovery of operations. During previous storms, St. James has located a communications office outside of the affected area to coordinate all employee and customer communications. Today, St. James has established a communications structure that is not dependent on local servers and networks. Therefore, all email, web services, and telephone communications will continue to operate throughout an emergency. In fact, St. James’ technology provider, St. James Technologies, has now moved their primary office to the Louisiana Business Technology Center (LBTC). The LBTC was recently designated as the disaster control center for the entire state, which even further ensures St. James customers of a seamless communications structure in the event of a hurricane or other disaster.

Lastly, St. James has a culture which is flexible and adaptable. This is THE key ingredients to surviving a hurricane. No two storms are alike. It takes creativity, commitment, and resiliency to ensure that operations return as quickly as possible. St. James believes it excels in this area, but we let the results speak for themselves – St. James has never declared Force Majeure due to a hurricane and met all of its commitments including vessel demurrage protections.

High Water and Low Water on the Mississippi River – What is the impact?

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:01:31 GMT

The Mississippi River below Baton Rouge is an amazing river. Its depth can range up to 200 feet and there are numerous areas which require local knowledge, provided by the river pilots, to insure safe transit of ocean going vessels.

While no one guarantees a particular draft on the lower Mississippi River, the Corps of Engineers is legally tasked with maintaining river drafts suitable for commercial traffic. The current mandate for the Corps is to maintain a draft of 45 feet from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Highway 190 Bridge in Baton Rouge. In practice, the three river pilot associations make recommendations to vessel masters as to the safe draft for ocean vessels transiting the Mississippi River. Over recent history, the recommendations have been 46 feet fresh water for vessels over 100,000 dwt up to Mile 180 and 47 feet fresh water for vessels under 100,000 dwt. Generally above Mile 180 the recommendation by the pilots is a draft of 45 feet. Typically vessels calling the Mississippi River stay in close contact with their local agents to keep track of any changes.

Due to the tremendous amount of silt, which is carried by the Mississippi River, dredging operations are always a constant. The focus, though, changes between high water and low water periods.

During high water periods, the focus of dredging is on the lower end of the river near the Head of Passes. This is where the river velocity slows as it approaches the Gulf. The change in water velocity causes silt to precipitate. Occasionally, the Bar Pilots talk of experiencing “slush” or “liquid” mud conditions. One of the solutions applied by the pilots when slush is experienced is to bring deeper draft vessels in on high tide.

During low water periods, and particularly after a rapid fall in the river, dredging expands to include dredging at “crossings”. A “crossing” is a place in the river where a vessel must reverse the rules of the road and cross the river to make a bend in the river. The high number of “crossings” above Mile 180 is one of the reasons given for the lower draft recommendations.

When dredging is required at the “crossings”, the Corps generally begins at the most downriver crossing with a problem and works their way up river.

One of the trigger points for determining whether the river is in a high water stage is when the Carrolton River Gauge reaches 9 foot. At this point the navigation lights at Governor Nichols Street Wharf are put into operation creating a one-way movement of traffic around Algiers Point in New Orleans. At a Carrolton Gauge of 12 foot, a number of additional high water protocols go into place and typically barge fleets begin to charge “high water” surcharges for their services.

An interesting account of how the Mississippi developed as a major marine highway can be found in “A Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America” by John M. Barry, published by Simon and Schuster 1998.

Dry Bulk Mid-Stream Stevedoring on the Mississippi River – what is it?

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:39:14 GMT

Mid-Stream stevedoring as it is practiced on the lower Mississippi River involves the transfer of dry bulk, steel, heavy lift and break bulk cargo directly between ocean bulk carriers and river barges.

A typical mid-stream facility consists of ship mooring locations with buoys, usually two or three head buoys and two stern buoys. St. James has a total of six mid-stream mooring locations between New Orleans and Burnside Louisiana.

Adjacent to the ship mooring buoys is the barge fleet where barges are marshaled, inspected and cleaned. St. James operates inside of Elmwood Fleet in Convent and Canizaro Fleet in Destrehan, Louisiana. Both fleets accept barges from any company if destined for a ship being handled by St. James.

A ship arrives at the mid-stream mooring location and is assisted into the buoys by harbor tugs. She then deploys her anchors and secures her mooring lines to the head and stern buoys. The primary systems for holding the vessel in place are the ship anchors, with the lines to the buoys providing stability while keeping the vessel in position for unloading.

Once the vessel is secured in the buoys, a unique facility is built around the ship with floating cranes. Crane crews arrive to the facility on launch boats. The number of cranes used is determined by the ship size, cargo requirements and crane availability. St. James has conducted cargo operations with up to 5 cranes on a single vessel. The cranes have winch and cable systems on both sides so that the crane can move up and down the ship side under its own power and can move the river barge to the most efficient location for the crane grab operations.

River barges which were previously marshaled in an adjacent barge fleet are brought alongside the cranes and secured with cables to the crane. For weather sensitive products, the crane removes the barge covers and stevedoring operations can begin.

Transfers can be subdivided into three baisic phases, free digging, working with equipment and final clean up phases. The free digging phase of discharge operations is when the crane is able to work in the holds without any equipment. During the working with equipment phase, mobile equipment, usually trackhoes, are placed in the vessel holds to pull the cargo from under the wings to the square of the hatch. The final clean up phase involves the use of front end loaders to round up cargo and men working in the hold to shovel clean the perimeters and corners up to the height they can reach while standing on the tank top.

St. James' crews check the barge drafts while the barges are still alongside to make sure that the customers target drafts are achieved. Barges are then taken to the fleet where weights of the cargo are determined by barge draft survey. These surveys are conducted by professional surveyors.

When the vessel is complete, the master and stevedore superintendent conduct an inspection of the vesssel hold to determine if any damage has occurred. After the final paper work is completed, cranes are removed from the vessel side and the vessel departs for her next cargo.

Stevedoring on the Mississippi River - How did it develop?

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:37:50 GMT

The inauguration of modern mid-stream operations on the lower Mississippi River is usually attributed to a cooperative arrangement between Tampa Electric Company and Peabody Coal. To meet Florida's post-war boom Tampa Electric Company decided to build coal fired power plants on Tampa Bay. Tampa Electric also had an aversion to railroads and wanted to develop an independent delivery system using the Mississippi River. Under the leadership of Captain Noble Gordon river barges were built and a T-2 Tanker was converted into a self loading dry bulk carrier vessel renamed, the M/V Martha Mac. The Martha Mac was put into service to load the coal from barges in the Mississippi River and to transport the coal to Tampa.

It didn't take long for shippers to realize that in addition to empty coal barges, grain barges emptied at the grain elevators could be more efficiently used by reloading them with northbound cargoes.

A second component in the development of dry bulk cargo mid-stream operations on the lower Mississippi River is export grain. There are 10 shore based grain elevators scattered between Port Allen at Mile 230 AHP and Myrtle Grove Mile 64 AHP. Additionally, mid-stream grain transfer facilities operate at Darrow, Destrehan, and Davant.

Since the early 20^th century, grain exports, including various types of grain and by-products have constituted the largest movement of dry bulk material through the lower Mississippi River with annual quantities typically ranging around 75 million tons. Again the effect on mid-stream potential was the availability of empty barges for carrying cargo north. Additionally, empty ships were now arriving in New Orleans to load grain and competition for cargoes into the Mississippi River insured competitive ocean freight for inbound bulk products.

The convergence of the two sources of empty barges coupled with the desire of barge lines and ships to obtain higher equipment utilization values spurred the development of mid-stream stevedoring.

Mid-stream advantages include relatively low capital basis, flexibility to create different sized facilities for each vessel, large pool of empty barges looking for north bound movements and the ability to work multiple cargoes in any directions. During the aftermath of hurricanes mid-stream facilities can return to service sooner because they are not tied to shore power to operate. For example St. James Stevedoring did not declare Force Majeure for any of the hurricanes which devastated the lower Mississippi area during the mid and late 2000’s.

Mid stream stevedoring today offers the shipper a wide range of flexibility. Because the market is highly competitive rates have remained low while service has constantly improved. Within the past five years daily ship discharge rates have jumped from 6,000 tons per day to over 30,000 tons per day with some ships unloading at even faster rates.

St. James offers a full range of mid stream stevedoring and has come to be recognized as the industry leaders. Today St. James is the standard to which other stevedores aspire.

What part of the Mississippi River is navigable by large ocean going vessels?

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:33:50 GMT

Large oceangoing ships can navigate up to the Highway 190 Bridge in Baton Rouge which is at Mile 233.9 AHP (above the head of passes) of the Mississippi River. The Highway 190 Bridge, with an air draft (minimum clearance) of 110 feet at a 0 river stage, the brain child of Governor Huey P. Long, successfully prevents large ocean vessels from going north of Baton Rouge. This barrier to navigation has created a unique concentration of dry bulk facilities and terminals. This is the prime location where cargo is transferred between ocean and the inland river system of the United States.

The draft of the Mississippi River is maintained by the Corps of Engineers. The primary focus of dredging activity is focused in the Southwest Pass and at the various crossings. Maintenance dredging occurs throughout the year. Typically the problem areas for dredging shift from the Southwest Pass during high water periods to the crossings during low water periods. The Corps is constantly searching for and correcting problems.

The Mississippi River pilots issue recommendations for maximum draft for transiting their respective areas. Experience over many years has shown that the pilots can take the deepest draft vessels to about Mile 180 without significant problem. Above Mile 180 there are a number of crossings and the maintaining of drafts over 40 feet have been problematic at certain times of the year.

The system works very well because of the dedication and professionalism of the various entities responsible for maintaining the river.

There are two categories of pilots, state pilots who handle foreign flag vessels and federal pilots who work with US flag vessels. The state pilots are divided into three associations. The Associated Branch Pilots, who bring vessels into the southwest pass of the Mississippi River to Pilottown (Mile 0). The Crescent River Pilots who bring the ship from pilot town to New Orleans and the New Orleans Baton Rouge Pilots who assist in the navigation of vessels between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

What types of dry cargo barges are most commonly used on the lower Mississippi River?

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:12:21 GMT

Most barges used to carry dry cargo on the lower Mississippi River are Jumbo barges. Jumbo barges are steel construction and have a lengths of either 195 feet or 200 feet and a width of 35 feet. They come in either a box or a rake configuration. The hull depth may range from 11 feet to 14 feet.

Barges can be both open (no covers) or covered. Covered barges can be fitted with fiberglass or steel lift top covers or steel roll type covers. Lift top barges typically have a total 9 covers (male and female covers overlap providing protection from the weather). Most lift top covers have grain doors which allow loading of grain into the barges with a spout. In mid-stream stevedoring the lift covers must be taken off in order to load and unload the barges. Lift covers can be stacked on the ends to maximize the carriage of non-weather sensitive cargo

Roll covers are preferred for destinations that do not have equipment capable of lifting and removing covers. Challenges with roll covers include the quality of the rollers and the alignment with the tracks. Also, if the covers are rusty the opening and closing process, which can be quite violent, has a tendency to cause rust flakes to fall onto the cargo.

Typically barge freight is quoted on the basis of minimum tonnage which is usually close to the barge carrying capacity at a 9 foot draft. Rake barges usually are quoted with a 1,400 short ton minimum and box barges with a 1,600 short ton minimum. Depending on the hull depth and the destination, barges have cargo carrying capacity up to almost 3,000 short tons.

The total number of barges on the river system has hovered around 17,000 with about 6,000 "opens" an 11,000 "covers" in the fleet.

Occasionally specialized barges such as super jumbos, stumbos and standard barges will be encountered. A few lash barges may still exist though with the demise of the lash shipping system most have been scrapped.

Barges are able to carry cargo both south and north. Facilities on both ends provide barge cleaning and repair services. Fleets throughout the system marshal barges and build and break tows.