Page 144: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 1993)

Idled Barges Cost States

Millions Of Jobs

Approximately 2,400jobs are lost every month the rivers of Missouri and Illinois are closed to barge traffic.

MarAd claims the economies of Missouri and

Illinois together lose more than $100 million every month the Mississippi, Missouri and other rivers are closed to barges.

The Missouri and Illinois rivers are mostly closed, as is most of the Mississippi River.

Illinois, which has lost 1,775 barge-related jobs a month, has been hit harder than Missouri.

The jobs lost include towboat crews, cargo han- dlers and people who service barges. For each month the rivers are closed, the Illinois economy reportedly loses $92 million.

Missouri has reportedly lost 699 jobs every month the rivers are closed. Loss of barge traffic costs the economy $32 million a month.

Other states hit by the rivers' closings are

Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wis- consin. Together, these states lose 3,282 jobs and $160 million every month. Lost income for workers amounts to $107 million a month.

Although the water has receded from record highs, no date has been set yet for when the rivers will be navigable for barges again.

New Tanker Route May Affect

Japanese Ship Owners

Oil tankers seeking to avoid the Strait of

Malacca are taking a new route that could cost

Japanese shipowners up to $160 million due to excess voyage time.

By avoiding the strait, an estimated five to six days will be added to the voyage time of the 74 tankers that are owned by the Japanese.

The number of ships using the strait has risen dramatically in recent years because of the rapid economic growth in East and Southeast Asia.

However, the states of Indonesia, Malaysia and

Singapore are considering introducing a levy on tankers using the strait.

The cost of controlling and maintaining the waterway has increased, as well as the number of accidents, evidenced by an oil spill earlier this year which caused extensive damage to fisher- ies and marine life.

Shipowners are reportedly weighing the cost advantages of avoiding the strait or using the strait and paying the levy.

French Nuclear-Powered Sub Hits Shell

Tanker; Minor Oil Spills Contained

Four ships and a plane were deployed by mari- time authorities to contain a small oil slick that leaked from a tanker struck by a French nuclear- powered submarine.

The vessels kept the slick under surveillance about 40 miles south of the Mediterranean port of

Toulon. Hot temperatures were reportedly evapo- rating most of the oil.

Meanwhile, specialists in the industrial port of

Fos near Marseille halved the surface of a slick from oil leaked by the Shell tanker Lyria as it docked.

The Lyria reportedly lost 2,000 tons (587,000 gallons) of crude from a 16-inch hole in its side after a collision with the attack submarine Rubis. The tanker was fully loaded with 270,000 metric tons (79.4 .million gallons) of crude taken on at Sidi

Kerir in Egypt. It was bound for Switzerland via a pipeline starting at Fos.

The Rubis was reportedly rising from a deep dive and its sonar may have been inhibited by the different thermal layers in the Mediterranean this time of year.

Both oil spills were described as minor by mari- time authorities and claimed that neither posed a threat to nearby Riviera beaches.

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Maritime Reporter/Engineering News