U.S. United Barge Line's 'Martha Mac'. Photo: TowboatGallery.com

Ingram Barge Company has reached an agreement to acquire Florida-based U.S. United Barge Line, LLC (UBL), a wholly owned barge transportation subsidiary of United Maritime Group (UMG), in a deal that will add 17 towboats and almost 650 barges to Ingram’s fleet, along with hundreds of employees.

“The acquisition will allow Ingram to continue its leadership role in the inland marine industry in providing best-of-class customer service and frequency of call for its customers,” said CEO of Ingram Barge Craig E. Philip, CEO of Ingram Barge Company.

Nashville-based Ingram Barge Company, which is part of the massive privately held company Ingram Industries Inc., expects the deal to close this quarter.

“We are pleased to show our commitment to barge transportation by making this important investment in UBL. This acquisition will allow us to renew and replenish our barge and towboat fleet and add the excellent, well respected marine employees of UBL to our family of associates,” said Orrin H. Ingram, Chairman of the Board of Ingram Barge Company.

“Since acquiring UBL in 2007, we have developed the business as an independent provider of barging services to the domestic and export markets for coal, petroleum coke, grain and other dry bulk commodities,” said UMG Chief Executive Officer Steven Green. “We are proud of the results we have achieved with UBL and believe that the long history and exceptional reputation of the Ingram Barge Company speak to the opportunity for continued reliable service for our customers and opportunities for continued growth for our employees at UBL.”

UMG was purchased from its parent company TECO Energy in December 2007 by an investment group led by Greenstreet Equity Partners LLC and focuses on serving the domestic and export coal and petroleum coke markets.

The Clarence W. Settoon Photo: CaptDag via Shipspotting.com

A portion of the Mississippi was closed Friday morning after two barges collided causing an oil spill about 50 miles upriver from New Orleans.

The Coast Guard said it was notified at approximately 1:58 a.m. that a construction barge, towed by the tug Alydar, and a tank barge, towed by the motor vessel Clarence W. Settoon, collided causing a 10-foot b 5-foot gash in the tank barge above the waterline.

The tank barge was loaded with 3,535 barrels, or about 148,470 gallons, of Louisiana sweet crude oil at the time of impact and an undetermined amount of oil was released into the lower Mississippi River.  The Coast Guard did add that the amount of oil released is estimated to be substantially less than the total of the tank’s contents.

“We are aggressively responding to this incident and have deployed pollution investigators from Sector New Orleans and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and crew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans to assess the situation,” said Coast Guard Captain of the Port New Orleans, Capt. Pete Gautier. “We are working quickly and efficiently with our local and state partners to clean up product in the water and protect the maritime ecosystem and natural resources that are important to our national economy and essential to the livlihood and way of life for coastal communities.”

A section of the lower Mississippi River near LaPlace was closed after the collision but was partially reopened at 11 a.m. CST to southbound traffic. For northbound vessels, the section will be open 6:00 p.m. CST Friday to 4 a.m. CST Saturday, while southbound traffic is stopped.

No injuries were reported.

The Clarence W. Settoon is owned and operated by Settoon Towing of Louisiana

Photo: USCG

We’ve already seen some close calls today, but hey, they were still close calls.

This weeks actual incident photo comes to us via the USCG and shows a sinking barge being upended 20 miles off Miami Beach, Florida on Nov. 9, 2011. The 270-foot barge began taking on water shortly after the 94-foot tug that was towing it became disabled and adrift.

Barges are Among the First Double-Hulled, Environmentally Friendly Barges in Western Alaska Waters

Anchorage, Alaska:  Crowley Maritime Corp. is deploying two new double-hulled, combination deck cargo and tank barges this week in Western Alaska. The DBL 165-1 and DBL 165-2 barges left Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes, Wash., earlier this month and made a brief stop in Seward for final outfitting of equipment – including hoses, lines, pumps and other gear – necessary for operating in Western Alaska. The barges are expected to load their first cargoes of petroleum products in Bristol Bay this week and will begin making deliveries to customers along the Bering Sea coast soon afterward.

Both vessels will be home ported in Nome and will be used for shallow draft operations and beach landings for the delivery of fuel and cargo to the remote communities of Western Alaska. The vessels are the first double-hulled, environmentally friendly barges of their kind to operate in Western Alaska waters, since Crowley’s 180-1, a double-hull barge that Crowley deployed in Alaska in 2005.

“We are pleased and excited to announce the delivery and deployment of these barges,” said Bob Cox, Crowley’s vice president of petroleum distribution. “Engineered with integrity, the DBL 165-1 and DBL 165-2 give Crowley the opportunity to better serve the Alaska market with the enhanced design features that are built into these vessels. This exemplifies our commitment to moving petroleum and petroleum products efficiently and safely.”

The barges were specifically designed for the rigors of Western Alaska, with the highest priority given for the safety of the personnel and the environment. Crowley is the only company bringing the safer double-hull vessels to Alaska without any regulatory requirement, because as Crowley Senior Vice President and General Manager Rocky Smith said, “It’s just the right thing to do.”

Crowley christened the DBL-1 and DBL-2 last month during a small ceremony at Dakota Creek Industries, where the barges were constructed. Customers Janis Ivanoff, president of Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation, and Debra Shontz, director of operations for Arctic Slope Regional Corporation in Barrow, participated by helping to christen the vessels.

Since 1953, Crowley has provided various marine, petroleum distribution, and energy support services in Alaska – from the North Slope to Southcentral Alaska and both coastal and inland communities including those along the Kuskokwim and Yukon Rivers – and today has offices and operations throughout the state with more than 650 employees. The company has consistently provided unique solutions to Alaska’s logistics and marine transportation challenges and played an important role in Alaska’s business development and in protecting its environment.

At the southern terminus of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, Crowley provides tanker escort and docking services in the Prince William Sound for Alyeska Pipeline Service Company’s Ship Escort/Response Vessel System, utilizing some of the most technologically advanced and powerful tugboats in the world. With a storage capacity of more than 39 million gallons, Crowley is strongly positioned as a leader in the Alaska fuel industry, providing transportation, distribution and sales of petroleum products to more than 280 communities across Alaska. Crowley supports the energy industry on the North Slope with summer sealifts of large production modules and various marine transportation services, and in the winter supports oil field development with CATCO® all-terrain vehicles. These heavy-lift overland transport units have large bag tires designed to work over the tundra without damaging the delicate Arctic ecosystem. Crowley also provides tanker assist and escort services at Tesoro Alaska Company’s Nikiski refinery in Cook Inlet.

Source: Crowley

The first of these barges, launched on Tuesday, May 10 by ACL’s President and CEO Mike Ryan, was a clean service tanker with a capacity of 30,000 barrels. It includes a redesigned stainless steel piping system and a new radial rake design that will also be found on the tankers the Company plans to build over the next 20 months.

“We are excited to have launched the first of the new replacement tankers that we will be building this year and next to significantly improve the quality of our liquids fleet for our customers,” Mr. Ryan stated. “Investing in our fleet is one of the strategic business initiatives ACL is executing to achieve new levels of service and innovation. Our tanker barge build program demonstrates our commitment to meeting the long-term needs of our liquids customers.”

American Commercial Lines Inc. is an integrated marine transportation and service company owned by Platinum Equity and operating in the United States Jones Act trades. The company is headquartered in Jeffersonville, IN, has approximately 2,400 employees and operates a fleet of 110 towboats and 2,400 barges.

Source: American Commercial Lines

(SEATTLE, May 10, 2011) – Preparing to take environmental protection of Western Alaska waters to a whole new level, Crowley Maritime Corporation christened two new double-hulled petroleum tank barges, the 165-1 and 165-2, Saturday morning during a small ceremony at Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes, Wash. The vessels, which are the first double-hulled, environmentally friendly barges of their kind to operate in Western Alaska waters, will join Crowley’s 180-1, a double-hull barge that has serviced Alaska since 2005.

The hull was rigorously designed for use in Western Alaska, with the highest priority given for the safety of the personnel and the environment. Crowley is the only company bringing the safer double-hull vessels to Alaska without any regulatory requirement, because as Crowley Senior Vice President and General Manager Rocky Smith said, “It’s just the right thing to do.”

“The delivery and deployment of these barges gives Crowley the opportunity to better serve the Alaska market with the enhanced design features that are built into these vessels,” said Bob Cox, Crowley’s vice president of petroleum distribution. “This exemplifies our commitment to moving petroleum and petroleum products efficiently and safely.”

During the christening, vessel sponsors Janis Ivanoff, president of Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation, and Debra Shontz, director, Barrow operations for Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, performed the time-honored tradition of christening the vessels. Twenty guests, including friends and employees from Crowley and its Jensen Maritime subsidiary, attended the event. A celebratory lunch reception followed in the nearby Majestic Inn and Spa.

“This event was an opportunity for us to celebrate these two amazing vessels and the company’s continued commitment to safe petroleum delivery in these waterways,” Cox said. “This special day gave us the chance to also thank our customers, Dakota Creek and the architects and employees who have each helped to make these barges a reality.”

The 165-1 and 165-2 will depart this week for their home port of Nome, Alaska. The double-hull barges will be used for shallow-draft operations and beach landings for the delivery of fuel and cargo to the remote communities of Western Alaska.

The vessels’ concept design was developed by Crowley’s vessel management services team, which worked closely with Crowley’s Alaska operations. Dakota Creek built the barges, and Crowley’s Jensen Maritime provided the engineering support to the shipyard for the final detailed design.

Since 1953, Crowley has provided various marine, petroleum distribution, and energy support services in Alaska – from the North Slope to Southcentral Alaska and both coastal and inland communities including those along the Kuskokwim and Yukon Rivers – and today has offices and operations throughout the state with more than 650 employees. The company has consistently provided unique solutions to Alaska’s logistics and marine transportation challenges and played an important role in Alaska’s business development and in protecting its environment.

With a storage capacity of more than 39 million gallons, Crowley is strongly positioned as a leader in the Alaska fuel industry, providing transportation, distribution and sales of petroleum products to more than 280 communities across Alaska. Crowley supports the energy industry on the North Slope with summer sealifts of large production modules and various marine transportation services, and in the winter supports oil field development with CATCO® all-terrain vehicles. These heavy-lift overland transport units have large bag tires designed to work over the tundra without damaging the delicate Arctic ecosystem. At the southern terminus of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, Crowley provides tanker escort and docking services in Valdez Harbor and Prince William Sound for Alyeska Pipeline Service Company’s Ship Escort/Response Vessel System, utilizing some of the most technologically advanced and powerful tugboats in the world. Crowley also provides tanker assist and escort services at Tesoro Alaska Company’s Nikiski refinery in Cook Inlet.

Via Crowley Alaska

Check out this video of Eagle Service grounding just southwest of Hog Back in the East River in NYC. The video was shot and edited by Seth Greenspan, who was taping in a riverside park.  Props to Greenspan on the captions and smooth beats, and of course to the crews who got her out of quite the jam.

Here’s the description provided:

On March 18, 2011, the Eagle Service grounded a barge in the treacherous waters just south of Hells Gate, where New York City’s East river meets the Long Island Sound. It was during an exceptionally low slack tide (potentially affected by the closest approach to the moon during a seasonal tide [AKA Super Moon]) and the reasons for the grounding are uncertain. When the tide started rushing back in, the Eagle Service tried backing the laden barge off the shallows. The tide was running so hard against the barge that it turned the nose around – when it was grounded, it was pointed straight at Manhattan, but once it was off the bottom, it turned the nose towards Randall’s island and the tug had no control. The barge grounded a second time. From what i saw, I speculate the captain decided to bottom out a second time rather than be swept into Hog Back, although it may have just hung up on its own again. Now the craft was lying across the channel. The Coast Guard shut the East River down to boat traffic while a second boat came to assist – which is when I decided to grab my camera. I was set up in time to film the two tugboats outmaneuver the wicked spot they were in- stuck between the rocks and a hard current. It was a pretty slick bit of seamanship. And a real rarity too – groundings around New York city are few and far between.

New York City Prison Barge, The Vernon C. Bain Center (VCBC), is an 800-bed jail barge that is designed to handle inmates from medium- to maximum-security in 16 dormitories and 100 cells. It resides on the East River approximately one mile west of SUNY Maritime College. The barge falls under the New York City Department of Corrections and is part of the vast Rikers Island jail complex, the world’s largest penal colony. The prison barge was built in New Orleans for $161 million and brought to New York in 1992 to reduce overcrowding on the island’s land-bound buildings. Since the jail is not permanently moored to the shore, Coast Guard regulations require that she have 3 maritime crew on board at all time, including a mate, an engineer and an oiler. With this in mind the blog, admiraltymaritimelaw.blogspot.com posed this question.

If an inmate or an employee is injured on the barge would it fall under admiralty jurisdiction? Believe it or not it appears the question has never been litigated, at least I can’t find it in my search of federal and New York cases.

The above video is of the RivTow vessel Hercules, a self loading, self dumping log barge. Captain Don Rose tells us how the barge operates under normal operations:

On arrival at destination, a small tug will come alongside the Rivtow Capt. Bob and pick up the Mate and a Seaman and take them back to the barge. When the crew members are on the barge the small tug will put its towline on the barges stern to assist holding it in position while the pre-flooding and dumping proce- dures take place.

On the barge the crew will service the generating machinery and check that the cranes are locked in place. Confident that everything is secure the sea-chest will be opened along with a series of other valves to pre-flood ballast and tip- ping tanks with sea water. (Pre-flooding
and ballast transfer are done by gravity.)

With the pre-flooding completed, the barge in the right position on the com- mand of the Tug Master the timber dumping procedure will start. Because the RivTow Hercules discharges its load from the port side, ballast water is first transferred from the starboard side to the port side tipping tanks.

It is common that after all the ballast water is transferred to the port side of the barge, it has not dumped. With the ballast water transferred the sea-chest is opened to allow more water into the tipping tanks.

With the sea-chest open and water flowing into the tipping tanks the barge will continue to heal over. It is common for the barge to dump at 26 to 30 degrees of heal. Dumping time from arrival to departure usually takes from two to three hours.

When the barge dumps, it actually moves rapidly out from under the load. The load does not move until the barge has left it.

When the barge starts moving out from under the load it moves sideways to starboard at a rapidly increasing rate of speed for a considerable distance. At this time the small tug connected to the stern of the barge disconnects itself completely. The towing tug slips out its winch line so it will not be pulled over by the force of the barge moving sideways.

When the barge has settled down from its sideways run the Mate and Seaman close up the barge, leaving the sea-chest and tipping tank valves open to allow the forces of gravity to drain the water from it. The assist tug will then bring them back to the Rivtow Capt. Bob and another trip to load logs will begin. In about an hour she will level off.

For the complete story behind this interesting vessel visit Sidelights Magazine at the Council Of American Master Mariner’s website then download the April 2010 edition.