DIFFICULTIES IN UNLOADING HEAVY OIL FROM DAMAGED BARGES DURING EXTREMELY COLD WEATHER AND ICE CONDITIONS

Abstract

ABSTRACT During the severe winter of 1977, five loaded tank barges grounded on a rock in the upper Mississippi River, 42 miles above the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. The hull of one of those barges was ruptured and approximately 1,000 barrels of its cargo of heavy, black No. 6 fuel oil was subsequently discharged into the river. Because of inadequate action by the owner, the incident became a federal removal activity involving the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, several commercial companies, and several units of the Coast Guard, including the Gulf Strike Team. The closure of the Mississippi River due to heavy ice and ice gorging restricted the availability of necessary equipment, and the extremely low temperatures, often well below zero, sometimes made available equipment inoperative. This paper offers no panacea for dealing with damaged oil barges under these adverse conditions, but does provide a description of the incident so that others in similar situations may assess their problems quickly and plan improved courses of action.