Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumOil spills after two barges strike Mississippi River bridge
"Oil spilled into the Mississippi River after two oil barges hit a bridge near Vicksburg, Miss., early Sunday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard reported.
The barges, laden with crude oil, were being pulled by the tow boat Nature's Way Endeavor when they hit the Vicksburg Railroad bridge and were damaged, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a release.
One of the barges began spewing oil into the river, officials said. It was unclear how much oil was spilled. The U.S. Coast Guard said the source of the spill, a leaking tank filled with 80,000 gallons of crude oil, had been "contained." "
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-oil-spill-mississippi-20130127,0,6127077.story
ChairmanAgnostic
(28,017 posts)the drought's impact on the mississippi river levels had any impact. Tighter spaces to go through?
HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)No matter the water level. Perhaps there were shoals before or after the bridge that required some turning, and the tug/barges got crossed up and hit the bridge during the course change. Current should be low, probably as low as it ever gets.
Nihil
(13,508 posts)... considering that they managed to hit a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deck barge in 2012
(causing more than $100,000 in damage), damaged the riverbank by a Lousiana hydroelectric
company in 2010 and didn't bother to provide any safety guidance or safety equipment when
sending their people in to help with the BP oil spill.
ChairmanAgnostic
(28,017 posts)as most of the river is, falling river levels decrease the width of navigation worthy waters. They are seeing parts of the shore that have not been visible in decades.
HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)The bridge piers are vertical, and protected by fenders (usually heavy wooden walls). While the sides of the passage may have a bit less vertical clearance under the bridge than the center, water depth in the channel under the bridge should be fairly constant across the width between the fenders. Usually, you proceed under the bridge in a straight line perpendicular to the bridge. I was pointing out that a shoal in the channel before or after the bridge may have required a course change, and if improperly timed would cause contact with the bridge. A similar situation would exist if the bridge was located at a curve in the channel (really bad planning).
Those barge/tug combinations are pretty limited in their manuvering capabilities. Take a close look at the wooden fenders sometime, they're usually pretty tore up as a result of repeated contact from barges.
HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)It appears the river makes a 90 deg bend just upriver of at least 3 bridges...I-20, US-80, and a RR bridge. The 90 degree bend appears to have been a former ox-bow in the river that was straightened out somewhat (from 180deg to 90deg). I found a pic of the I-20 bridge...the piers are well apart and unprotected by fenders. I could not find pix of the other bridges, but the RR bridge (which the barge hit) probably has piers much closer together.
As I suspected, the barges/tug had to make a big turn just before passing under the three (at least) bridges. This is some tricky manuvering, since it might take a minute or so for the barges to actually start turning after the turn is initiated. Imagine driving down a curvy road in your car, but the car doesn't turn until a minute after you turn the steering wheel, or drive straight for a minute after you straighten the wheel. That's the sort of lack of manuverability we're discussing. I'm amazed there aren't more tug/barge accidents (there are, but the majority are minor and not reported in news).
ChairmanAgnostic
(28,017 posts)One time, after a particularly trying expert deposition in Ohio, I was looking for a local watering hole to replenish my rapidly fading blood alcohol level. After staring unforgivably at the beautiful waitpersonstaffgirltress I looked up to see this
REALLY GIANT SHIP
moving along the Cayahoga. This thing was HUGE! Immense! I could not see how it could fit. It's just me. Despite logging hundreds of thousands of miles flying, I still as impressed when I see a 747 take off. Regardless of whether I am inside it or not.
My jaw dropped so obviously that the waitpersonstaffgirltress could not stop giggling at my reaction.
NickB79
(19,113 posts)Fucking the environment every step of the way.
zeaper
(113 posts)Like the Keystone pipe line that is about to be built. Sometimes they leak but a pipe is much less prone to problems than a barge, a truck or a train.
NoOneMan
(4,795 posts)Nihil
(13,508 posts)... don't go upsetting one of our long-time sleeper trolls who's only just been
reactivated after clearing their alert slate!
wtmusic
(39,166 posts)Do you need pipe lines?
HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)if we're talking about inland waterways. And much cheaper than rail or highway transport. Super tankers are very cheap and safe when at sea, but vulnerable near coastlines. However, shipping oil by supertanker from the Dakotas is an impossibility.
All in all, pipelines are the best way of transporting crude, considering cost and safety. Their difficulty lies in locating them, and holding BigOil accountable for their maintainence.