Inland Salvage Inc. Completes the Removal of Unidentified Buried Obstructions at Port Expansion Project

NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Inland Salvage Inc. (www.inlandsalvage.com) has successfully completed the removal of buried obstructions for a port expansion project in Reserve, LA. During the expansion project it was discovered that several steel objects buried in the river bottom were obstructing the pile driving operations of the construction crews.

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Inland Salvage mobilized their heavy lift salvage spread to the location of the first obstruction. Digging over 15' into the river bottom, the obstruction was discovered to be a 120' x 30' deck barge which had been buried by siltation. Divers worked to empty the barge of river mud and clear access for salvage rigging. Working with the dangers of trench collapse, divers safely rigged the barge to Inland Salvage A-frame barges "Big Al" and "Large Marge." The Deck barge was successfully raised, dewatered, and placed on a materials barge before being recycled as scrap metal.

The operation was then focused on the second obstruction. After 7 days of digging, dive surveys identified the target to be an old dry dock. Soon after discovery, river levels began to rise due to the spring crest, subsequently the US Army Corps of Engineers stopped all work near the levee. After river levels dropped and Inland Salvage was authorized to continue work at the site, the wreck was found to be only partially silted over by the high river conditions.  The salvage crew continued clearing the dry dock of mud. Once cleared, divers determined the wreck would need to be removed in two pieces. Working in high current and black water conditions, divers were able to successfully rig both sections to the heavy lift cranes. These sections were then placed on materials barges for disposal at a recycling facility.

The last obstruction was found to be rip rap and solid debris. Crane operated rock grapples and buckets were employed to dig the obstructing material from the location. Inland Salvage continuously performed side scan sonar surveys of the area to monitor the operation. Test piles were driven by the construction company to ensure all obstructions were clear.

Daily safety and job task meetings were conducted to insure that all participants in the salvage and wreck removal were aware and prepared for the daily activities. The resources of all personnel were directed towards one common goal – a well-planned and safely executed operation.

SOURCE Inland Salvage Inc.