Coast Guard urges mariners caution at Chene

Mariners traversing the Bayou Chene floodgate construction site need to be aware of a new U.S. Coast Guard marine safety information bulletin that has been issued in an attempt to prevent any further incidents at the construction site.
The bulletin was issued after the latest of multiple incidents at the site occurred during the daytime of June 10. During that incident, a 900-foot tow vessel struck pilings for the project, U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit-Morgan City Lt. Cmdr. Zach Robertson said on a virtual conference meeting with stakeholders Wednesday. He said there were “several factors” that resulted in the incident.
“The incident is still under investigation, so I can’t go into all the specifics,” he said.
Robertson told Morgan City Harbor and Terminal District commissioners during Monday’s meeting that initial estimates are that the strike caused $250,000 to $350,000 in damage.
Therefore, in the new marine safety information bulletin, mariners need to have an assist vessel “immediately available” to help them navigate the waterway, Robertson said.
Also, tow lengths now are limited to 600 feet. Tows that exceed this amount must be scaled down to no more than 600 feet per tow to pass through the structure.
Additionally, before entering the bayou, vessels must report their dimensions to the U.S. Coast Guard’s Vessel Traffic Service at Berwick Bay.
“This is not intended to include addition control action by the VTS,” Robertson said, explaining it’s to verify dimensions and to monitor vessels.
For more information, mariners can contact Vessel Traffic Service at VTSwatch@gmail.com, call 985-380-5370 or contact Coast Guard Lt. Hayley Gipson at Hayley.F.Gipson@uscg.mil or Robertson at Zachary.B.Robertson@uscg.mil.
Work currently has moved to the middle of the channel, and it has been reduced from 400 feet width to a 200-foot width. The site is closed to all traffic between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
“We’re just, at this point pleading with industry, please, do everything possible you can to prevent any more strikes, collisions on this structure,” St. Mary Parish Levee District Operations Manager Mike Brocato said. “If this would’ve happened on Thursday with workers present, very likely someone could have got hurt. There would have been people in the water, and it’s of major concern.”
Marine Safety Unit-Morgan City Cmdr. Ben Russell said the channel must remain open because it’s the only daytime route available because of construction at the Bayou Boeuf locks.
“So this is a critical fairway for ports between New Orleans, Houma, Morgan City, Port Arthur, so on and so on,” he said.
Brocato said the Bayou Chene project only has a few months left of work before it is complete.