What Caused the Dam Strike on The Ohio River in March 2023 near Louisville?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ส.ค. 2024
- NTSB Issues Dam Report
What's Going on With Shipping?
May 24, 2024
In this episode, Sal Mercogliano - a maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner - discusses the National Transportation Safety Board report released on the Queen City tow striking the Vane Dike, resulting in barges breaking loose and striking the McAlpine Dam on March 28, 2023.
#McAlpine #ohioriver #towboat #barge #river
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00:00 Introduction Queen City Tow Incident
01:34 Importance of Inland Water Transportation
04:19 NTSB Report
18:28 Conclusion
Contact of Queen City Tow with Vane Dike
www.ntsb.gov/investigations/A...
Barge Tow Hits Mooring on Ohio River During High Water Conditions: NTSB Report
gcaptain.com/barge-tow-hits-m...
It's about time they put out a Dam report.
Damn😅
Dam right!
I could not agree more
My Aunt used to say, when I was a little kid..
I went to the dam man to get some dam water,
and the dam man said I couldn't get any dam water.
So I said to the dam man he could keep his dam water.
But was it a DAMNING report?
"The water wants to kill you."
My youngest son has spent a lot of time up in the Boundary Waters and Lake Superior, and had this to say: "The Minnesota Northwoods wants you to survive, but it wants you to work for it. Superior just wants you dead."
"The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead..." (Gordon Lightfoot)
@@SpringIsBACK. Hi . Lol . I think it’s …🎼 superior it’s said , never gives up her dead,…. I probably should look it up , but that’s how I sing it 😹😹😹. I’m pretty sure…
"Break it Down Sam!!!"
Bet most Americans did not realize the amount of river traffic. Thanks for educating thus old man!
Living in New Orleans, I saw many of these “push boats” working the river. We called them push boats and it was an impressive sight to see that small boat move massive cargo.
Oh, the baldism, assuming he's old, which he is, I assume 😂
Rivers dont carry much traffic, as %, but farmers want the option to keep railroads honest.... And if a lock breaks the season could be over so govt sorta wisely doesn't build more locks... Or I could be wrong. I boat the Mississippi and above St Louis the locks never paid for their costs but farmers wanted option... World is surprising....
Something I know a bit about. I rode the boats for a couple of years as a deck hand (a young man's fancy). "Made" those locks quite a bit. Massive eddies @ the down river channel entrance, even under normal levels. It boils @ or above flood stage. First thing to note, Down River Traffic ALWAYS has the right of way. Less steerage and NO brakes. Fore and Aft watches are six on and six off. Captain, first mate and deck hand on fore watch. Pilot, Second Mate and deck hand on aft watch. The Engineer works whenever they feel like it. ;) Generally, both watches (mates and deckhands) will make a down river lock if they have to break the tow in half (size limitations ya know). The NTSB "Recommendations" were a "Yeah, We got nothing". Loose barges and broken tows are not a common thing, but are not uncommon either. DANGEROUS doesn't even describe it. That tow schedule could have been better planned and built, but u pick up and drop off what your Travel Agent tells u 2. Pilot error??? YES! Feller had a bad watch and miss judged the river. Hope he is still pushing tows.
That was an interesting couple of years for me. Watching em go up and down the rivers all my life. I had to try it. Glad I did. You don't REALLY get it until your breaking the head of your tow (Loose, free floating... It IS A RAFT) on the down river side coming out of a lock with a 4 inch lock line that is stretched down to two inches as you ease off the cleat and lay it on the wall. The Pucker Factor NEVER gets easy. That's How it works 99.9999999% of the time. Those guys do a hell of a job, in some pretty crappy conditions. Unsung Heros.
"A young man's fancy," is spot on. I had a two week internship type job on the red stacks in SF Bay that we called a, "shifting." I was still a student. I was there as an engineer, so I didn't have to leave the tug. I was watching those guys jump between the bow of the tug and the barges. Most of these tugs had the raised bow for ocean going. I've never been a good jumper, plus I doubted that I would be able to get back up from the barges. 😂 I was very happy that I didn't have to say anything. I was told that the student doesn't get to jump due to liability issues. Gosh, shucks, darn. 🤭
I learned a lot in those two weeks about the engineering side; and I also crossed the tugs and barges off of my possible career choices list. I ended up at sea for a commercial cruise aboard a container ship, then post graduation work on break bulk cargo ships crossing the Pacific. Being out in the open sea never bothered me. Yes, the water and the ships kept trying to kill me; but I miss it!😊
That singular line of "4 inch line stretched to 2 inches" is terrifying. The amount of energy to do that has to be massive
@@InsanePacoTaco It's exhilarating, to say the least. To make all the locks on the Ohio and Tennessee rivers with a full tow, 15 to 17 barges (one port and one starboard of the boat for the extra two), we would have to separate the tow. Down river that meant six barges free floating out of the lock so the boat could come thru behind us (the head of the tow) and then we reattach. Open hoppers can weigh roughly 1500 metric tons each, times six with the current pushing us out. If that line parts.... Let's just say It is a skill that I am glad I no longer need. 😏
@@InsanePacoTaco Edit/Update A friend pointed out that quite a few of the locks we broke nine off (three long and three wide). So, there is that. It wasn't always hair raising. Mostly the head came out at a slow walk and the eddy from the dam would push the whole raft into the wall. With the Mate and a deckhand on the wall with stern and bow lines ready to drop on bollards, the second and deckhand riding the raft as brakemen. Usually, a simple bit of line handling, but in high water all bets were off.
That drop at Louisville is called the Falls of the Ohio. It’s actually the reason Louisville exists because before the dam was built cargo had to be offloaded and went overland to get around the falls. Thus Louisville is known as Falls City from which Falls City Beer 🍺 is named. Dammit Sal now I’ll have to drink a beer!
I live and work in Louisville, and often spend time around the river. There is a huge elevated public plaza, The Belvedere, that overlooks the bend in the Ohio and the entrance to the McAlpine lock. It's interesting to watch the barge traffic maneuver that turn, and in times of high water, you can see how difficult it is for them to negotiate it. Many times they come close to tagging the vane dike. I'm honestly surprised this hasn't happened before. It just shows what good seamanship skills these barge crews have. Definitely an underrated group of people that are essential for our economy. Thanks for this video, very informative. Always appreciate all the dam information you have to share!
Love the Juan Browne shoutout - he is alwys talking about Dams! (Oroville mostly).
One of TH-cam's best channels.
That’s Juan way to do it 😂
Blancolirio #1
… when he’s not lying about another TH-camr.
@@denverbraughler3948 lol are you still butthurt that Juan was honest about a lunatic?
Louisville resident here. The entire area near the vane is off limits to small craft due to the dangerous currents even at low water levels. Also the tow boats WILL run your ass over.
The length of time it takes to stop one of those tugs with a full load is measured in minutes.
@@mlatham23, and usually a couple of miles when going downstream in high water. I've been on enough of them that CAN'T stop at all under those conditions.
Sal, thanks for highlighting this. Few Americans understand how vital our inland waterways are and you certainly won't hear about them on Fox or CNN so most of America is clueless!
Sal is our damn guide. He is here to answer all our dam questions.
Some conversions that Sal didn't put into perspective:
1 cubic foot of water = 7.48 gallons (volume is a funny thing) which is 62.4 pounds.
400k cfs = 24.96 million pounds of water PER SECOND.
Water doesn't want to kill you (it has no intent) but it definitely will kill you with incredible efficiency.
…I mean the numbers would get smaller, but the math would get much easier if u used metric (400k cf = 11,326 m^3 = 11,326,000 L = 11,326 metric tonnes…)
@@Cal94 Absolutely right, but freedom units are (unfortunately) easier to understand for the American audience. Also, since the USGS defaults to standard units for its gauges, its the language that river folks use.
A quick search suggests that Southern California uses about 1.3K cfs on average over the year. So the water _in each second_ over the dam would provide for all of So. Cal. for 5 minutes.
Or all the water So. Cal. needs for an entire day in 5 minutes of river flow.
That is quite a lot of water.
@@Cal94Very true! I grew up with metric, moved to the US almost 50 years ago. First impression: This system makes no sense! LOL. It still gives me grief on a daily basis!😅
@@tinacatharinaeden2711 I started with imperial and then went on to metric. While I still use some imperial, imperial still haunts me with WTF. Metric is so much more logical. At least NASA has gone metric.
I've never been a mariner, but I've been in a flood. I tell people that the difference between fire and water is that you can fight a fire. You might lose, but it can be a battle. There's no fighting water. Just get out of its way.
The audio got out of synch
I continue to be fascinated with this channel. Always learning so much!
Awesome, thank you!
When I was in high school in suburban Louisville in 1972, there was a similar incident on March 19, 1972 where a barge carrying chlorine gas broke free and got stuck in the McAlpine Dam. It spent several days teetering over the dam and large amounts of west end neighborhoods had to be evacuated. Also, Louisville is pronounced Lou-a-vul.
Don't fire him, he's the guy who knows what was going on when things went bad.
He won't make that mistake again, another tug on standby would hhave been enough to prevent the accident and avoid having to separate the tow.
I am not sure another boat could have intervened in the time between going under the bridge and hitting the tie-up area.
@@mlatham23 Probably not. But if there had been some guidance either by the Corps, local river management, company guidelines, or crew experience (which unfortunately this crew only had after the event) they could have scheduled to have an assist tug hours before they got to the area. The assist tug would have been there and ready by the bridge, if not before, and would have stayed with the tow until it passed the danger point.
I agree! He couldn't know the "new protocol" if he was "already over the falls" water guys have storms,and over the bow, waves just coming at them......there is a reason that davey jones has a locker below in HELL
I really don't believe that another tug could have helped him! Then that tug would be at risk!
WOW, SAL! Thanks for the lesson on barge, rail, and truck efficiency. I had no idea just how efficient barges are.
As a lifelong MA resident, i had no idea so much freight was hauled on inland waterways, nor that there were so many locks and dams on said waterways. Interesting stuff. Glad the dam didnt actually get taken out. That would've been a disaster, especially given the astronomical high water.
When the Dale Heller crashed on Marseilles Dam on the evening of April 18, 2013 under very similar high water conditions, it did at least $60 million worth of damage to the dam. Two new gates had to be fabricated to replace the damaged ones.
www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MAB1411.pdf
Best thing you said water is always trying to kill you. The part of the Ohio river between Charleston, WV to Paducah, KY is one of the trickiest sections of river, navigated by large commercial vessels, in country. It is narrower, giving you less time to react than other waterways. Pilots in this area typically cringe when pilots from the Mississippi push barges thru here. While the Mississippi has a whole other set of challenges because of the sheer volume of water, even when below flood stage. The Ohio requires a high level of skill.
“The Falls of the Ohio are located at Louisville, Kentucky, and are the only falls in the entire length of the Ohio River. They consist of a rock reef extending across the river and forming a rapids having a length of about 3 miles. The low water slope in this distance is 26 feet and the falls or rapids in their natural state were impassable by vessels except at high stages.”
(US Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District Website)
This happy man gets me excited to learn about the weirdest shit.
The _brutal_ honesty I came here for…
_"I love being on a boat; I love everything about the water-but let me be clear: The water wants to kill you."_
The company I'm a pilot for had the same thing happen back in i think 2004. We had two barges go through the dam and one land sideways on the bridge below the lock. When it hit, it breached the void tanks on that side, flipping the 297' X 54' loaded tank barge on to its side, pinning it to the bridge piers.
We took a river boat cruise, Cincinnati to Louisville and back, 2006. We went through the locks, and saw many huge barges, carrying coal. Some tugs were pushing 21 such barges. Amazing!
I thought this was going to be about the 20+ barges that broke free due to high water from Pittsburgh down the Ohio River. Some also hit a dam.
It was April 2024.
This year has been even more wet...and devastating in terms of tornadoes (my town was missed 5 times this year alone, and was hit last year), Hopefully the river down there is kind to those who sail on it.
Sal, thanks for covering this important part of our logistics network.
Hey! I found your channel in part thanks to Blancolirio at the time of the sub implosion. I appreciated your reference!
Just about daylight I was staying at that casino hotel in Vicksburg, Mississippi overlooking from high on the east bluff a tow with a (what i thought was massive, a wide) coming down river headed for the Vicksburg highway bridge and I think railroad bridge. He made the curve and put it all under the bridge with such skill. It was an AWSOME sight to see. The river was not running fast at that time.
I live in a home that sits on the banks of the Mississippi River. It is amazing how many barges flow up and down the river. If you want to see some incredible tows, go to the Big River Crossing in Memphis, TN. You'll get a bird's eye view of just how big these barges can get. I've seen a 48 barge tow before.
During normal conditions, we averaged 42. On very rare occasions we would push 48 and pull 2 “on the hip”. Another way of saying one on each side of the towboat for people who don’t know. It’s absolutely amazing considering how many tons are being handled. Lots of action on the lower Mississippi.
I grew up across the street from the Mississippi in the Bootheel of Missouri. I've seen some of those tows with barges strapped to the sides. Pretty awesome site, and we kids never got tired of sitting on the banks watching them pass.
@@craigmcdaniel7142
Growing up anywhere on the Mississippi would be great. Outside of the flood zone of course. Yeah it’s kinda crappy pulling on the hip. It’s hard to keep the lines tight. I guess from the current hitting them constantly. I’ve never really studied that part. The MV Elizabeth Dewy passed your area many times.
@lookingbehind6335 I'm sure I saw her. And we saw high water many times and could see the struggle going on.
At night, when the water was high, the boats' structures would be elevated, and the powerful search lights would rapidly sweep side to side to ensure they were within the channel. They were also watching for snags and other hazards.
With each sweep, the light would pan across the seawall and fill my bedroom with a burst as strong as sunshine.
@@craigmcdaniel7142
Nice, I’m sure it was exciting as a kid.
Before modern technology, sweeping did keep you in channel. It also served another purpose, it kept you in plane I guess is the word. Basically kept the tow straight. So the rear wasn’t sliding to either side. It hard to sense direction in dark. Hopefully you get what I’m saying
I am Absolutely thankful to hear somebody else…
Someone with knowledge and Experience…say…
“Water wants to kill you”.
Thank You!
I’ve been saying this for decades and folks just don’t get it.
Water will find a way in…
Water will find a weak spot…
Water will do what water does…
Thanks Sal!
My dad built several of the lock and dams on the Ohio and Mississippi. Then moved on to bridges as the dams were finished. He always said that the river gods required small donations in order to prevent them from taking large payments. He paid them in prescription glasses, keys, lighters, and the occasional Stanley thermos.
As a kid, I watched the many tows, mostly coal, go through the New Cumberland L&D. The skill of the inland waterway mariners in piloting the tows is amazing. The tow boats look tiny compared to the huge rafts of barges they’re pushing. Until you see it live, it is hard to appreciate the huge volume of cargo in the barges and the skill required to avoid going off course
Many thanks Sal. After WWII, my dad spent over 20 years for Ohio River Co. as Chief of the boat. Listening to your stories and analysis reminds me of that special time with my dad decades ago. Love your channel!
Having retired as river captain (42 years total) the entrance to Portland canal to McAlpine anytime the VTS is activated is one of several places on the Ohio river that will elevate your heart rate and sow occasional seeds of doubt.
Inland waterways were so important that George Washington owned a canal construction company.
He was erected in Baltimore as "The Father of the Motherland." I'm not letting your get away from here that fast.
But, Baltimore and Ohio are more famous for the B&O railroad. Love the Dam Report!!
It happens I am glad they did not hang the pilot and captain. Good overview Sir.
Thankfully. How many licensed vessel operators are required on these tow boats? Are they doing 6hr watches? If so, to sals comment, how could the captain be up during his off watch to help with tricky locations and still comply with the 12 hour rule?
@@tsss9647
Towboats have a licensed captain and pilot. 95% of companies and crew use the 6 on 6 off rotation. It’s seldom you see a different rotation. There are some that have 8 & 8 or 10 & 10 almost never 12 & 12. Hope this answers some questions.
Good job Sal!
GREAT job 👏🏼! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
we are learning somthing every time we see you videos thank you from new zealand
Thanks Sal. This Memorial Day please remember all those still on Eternal Patrol.
NTSB issues Dam report. Not The Super Best, as are many.
Damming report
The CoE didn't put out sufficient NOTICE of the conditions and how far away from 'normal' the conditions were.
DAMN, NTSB PUT OUT A DAM REPORT......HOW COULD THEY CALL YOU CALL YOU OUT, SAL??? THEY STARTED IT!!!!
I'm on the pilot's side.. he got as slow as he could go and still got gripped.. This is a case for a tow boat at the front. I don't think HP at the rear was going to do anything substantial, except go backwards for a tie-up.
In the 1960s on the Rhine River unmotorised barges were towed, rather than pushed, sometimes extending for over half a mile.. Each barge of course had a helmsman to negotiate turns on the river. But to this day I wonder how they controled the barges coming down river especially since there are no 'handbrakes' on the barges with the river having a 4/5 mile current. Seems like nowadays all shipping is motorized.
As is typical of Sal's videos, this brings to light the massive importance and challenges of our inland waterway transportation system.
Unless one lives on the banks of one of these key rivers, we probably have no clue. Thanks Sal.
Recently, there were two trains with grain cars that derailed in Canada.
It's wild to hear an East coaster pronounce K-row correctly.
Great timing! Thanks for the update on this! I was just wondering about this event the other day.
Great teaching lesson. I used to know some engineers that would be well suited to be forced to watch this.
Nice to see one of my favorite channels mention another!
We need better locks. We have let our locks deteriorate. I used to go up and down the Erie Canal and over 20 years you could see the degradation
I've fished* across (KY bank) and slightly downriver from the new Olmsted Lock and Dam on the Ohio River (easy viewing distance) and have visited the Olmsted facility from the IL side too. Most impressive, although perhaps a bit less impressive than the billions in cost over-runs!
*Naw, I don't eat fish out of the Ohio, it'd just be fun to do battle with a fish over 50 lbs. sometime!
This is an "interesting area I live in: Within an hour's drive is the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio River, a port in Paducah, KY, the SEMO port (Southeast MO), that Lock and Dam @ Olmsted, IL, the Smithland Lock and Dam (KY), the termination of the (navigable) Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers into the Ohio River, the (big!) dams and locks at KY Dam and Barkley Dam, and a new port going in at Cairo, IL (although with the people involved, that one is a VERY dubious project).
Then there is Birds Point (check the YT vids about the time the ACE blew the levee to the floodway to relieve flooding pressure on the river / system upstream. 11,000 ft. of levee strung with liquid explosives filled buried pipe -- Kaboom!!)
Plus, one can travel over to Cave-In-Rock: Time it right and a Riverboat (paddlewheeler) replica will come by and you can imagine the old time pirates readying their attack!
Hey Sal, you said that very diplomatically. I learned a lot.
Juan Brown is a good standard, as is your channel.
I would love to see more inland incident coverage on your channel. I live less than an hour from the incident location on this one. Sitting and watching the barges go past on the river is a favorite pastime.
Have lived by Arkansas River, oashita, and other dams. You were dam straight opening.
Great report Professor..!
Thank you sir.
actually the whole river is in Kentucky as the boundary goes to the northern high water level
You are correct. 👍👏
Thanks for this report. I grew up in Indiana and did my grad studies just a few miles N of the Ohio R. Loved watching the barge traffic meandering down the R.
Glad I found your channel, I managed Chemical barge shipping for Mobil for 10 years in the 80’s loved the challenge and understand a lot of what you are discussing , I LOVE IT Thanks❤
Another great video by a man on top of his game!!!
Having experienced a maritime career prior to moving into aviation, I'm surprised at how many losses, failures and tragedies occur while the Master or aircraft captain is not present at the outset of the problem, in spite of the potential for a major problem being easily foreseeable. This is one example, there have been multiple losses of a similar nature at sea, the loss of AF447 over the Atlantic is another prime example. During my time at sea and as a pilot, I would always ensure that I would be present during any period where abnormal risk was likely to be a factor. Come to that, I'm more than a bit puzzled at how anyone could or want to be asleep while my vessel or aircraft was approaching a potentially hazardous environment !
Very interesting - learned a lot, thank you.
Great video! I liked the Juan Browne comment!. I am continually amazed they don't have MORE barge tow accidents. Those things are massive. It is incredible how well they control them with one tug.
Perhaps the Lego Globe 🌎 in an intro .. like the old RKO & Universal Movies.. WGOWS Studios Presents..
Nice!
@@wgowshippingI watch a lot of Film noir
Hey Sal, nicely done..! I have transited this channel many times, as well as watched from high windows downtown as tows go through. The 'outdraw' as you enter the Portland Canal is clearly visible, and known up and down the river. What may have been be a factor in some of these tows 'getting away' from the pilot, is that there are two, well one, historic vessel moored right where these tows need room to maneuver closer to the bank to avoid the draw. Given the choice between hitting the dolphin or the Steamboat, you end up where the current is more of a problem...
There's also the fact that this happened at 2AM, which will hamper the crew's ability to visually see the outdraw.
Great information as always!!!❤❤❤❤❤
"Water is always looking to kill you"
Yep! My family was into boating on the illinois river. One time we sailed to Chicago and had to go on Lake Michigan. We had been so used to the calm river waterways that we were whiteknuckling it on the swells of the lake. Nothing bad happened but, at least for me, it was one of the scariest moments in my life.
It is amazing how much water these big river barge tows move. I was fishing in a backwater opposite side of the lock near Dubuque on the Mississippi. A large barge went by and the water level in the backwater channel went up a couple of feet.
Thank you, very interesting about a subject that I know little about. Did not realize how important our inland waterways are.
Great shoutout to another great YT channel.
About dam time!
This will all be forgotten, just like everything else
Great report, Sal!
Greetings from Fort Lauderdale 🌴
Thank you
Seems like NTSB went with "pilot could have done better", rather than "how could this be organised or regulated better". Perhaps the insurers will push for the latter, though they'll probably just push up their rates. Especially when the river is high it would seem logical to have a tug work the entrance to the locks, providing extra steerage. Presumably noone wants the associated costs.
So USCG and US ACE didn't raise the alert level due to the high water levels/ high flow rates nor restrict transits to daylight hours, as they had in previous flood events? It almost sounds like they had set the crews up for failure, although you would hope the vessel's owner, captain, and pilot would be obligated to use propper discretion/due care.
I think they were just under the level for alerts. Only by a foot or so.
Did the NTSB comment on if the tow vessel could have reasonably navigated the channel with the number of barges at this water flow? Are eddy currents important with the different flows on the water and who exactly isgoing to come up with new policies and proceeures to deal with these eventualities?
Another excellent episode Sal.
Thanks Sal!
Dam good episode!
Thanks, unless you have sailed in heavy water it is very hard to imagine the power.
It's about time we get to see that Dam report!
thanks i live in louisville
I live and work in North Little Rock, on the Arkansas river, and keep a spreadsheet of ships I see go by each day pushing barges. I'm a MASSIVE nerd, yes.
Yes, the water wants to kill you.
Almost got me a couple of times.
Thanks Sal
Yeah people often fail to understand how much power water has, we had a channel of our little river get block by a few downed trees. So it made a new channel overnight that was 10 feet wide and averaged about 5 to 10 feet deep nearly a hundred yards or so long was very impressive.
Water is 1 tone per cubic meter at 1 meter per second its KE = 500 joules per meter. If it’s carrying 260,000 tons its kinetic energy is 125,000,000 Joules or 126 MJ. That could power a small city for a second, when a barge tries to change its direction its fighting the differences in velocity.
the Ohio Queen, starring Bogart and Hepburn.
Seems to me one long term solution would be to create a water diversion around/through the locks themselves. In high water conditions use that to establish a current through the channel to reduce out draft effect.
That would be financially nonviable considering the extreme of the problem only exists maybe 5 days a year.
Great clear rapid but not fast audio. Great graphs except Ohio River needed more closeup. The Shipping port island descriptions superb.Thank you
Inland barges are hard work in all weather around the clock every day.
You are my fella. ❤ when I was a child , I lived in the Ohio near Cairo. I’ve seen it come into town at Mt Vernon, IN.
Thanks sal
Another wild ride :)
Sal you nailed it about the power of the rivers. I’m hoping to do some ridealongs on them this year. Between. The current, wind, water depth and 70 degrees turns with 42 barge rafts. These Captain are AMOUNG the best on the planet. It is so amazing there aren’t more incidents.
Yup. Been waiting for that Dam report.
Dam it …! ..
Dammit Jim? ... it's Sal
Lol..... you are a National treasure treasure, Sal. 🙂
Cheers from landlocked OKC.
(but I DID spend 7 months on the Nimitz) 🛳
Let’s not forget a recent tragedy in Baltimore ….the barges could have hit the highway bridge and incurred some significant damage and, perhaps loss of life.