SLURRY OIL SPILL IN MISSISSIPPI RIVER: Lightering operations have been completed and the APEX 3508 barge has been removed to a fleeting area for temporary repairs

U.S. Coast Guard Heartland


UPDATE 7: RESPONSE TO COLLISION NEAR COLUMBUS

PADUCAH, Ky. – The unified command in Paducah continues to respond to a spill in the Mississippi River at mile marker 937, Tuesday.

Lightering operations have been completed and the APEX 3508 barge has been removed to a fleeting area for temporary repairs and is being prepared for transit.


The safety zone from mile marker 936 to mile marker 938 has been removed with no traffic restrictions.

Preparations for clean up efforts have begun near the initial incident site to remove the submerged clarified slurry oil.

The cause of the incident is under investigation by the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board.

APEX 3508 is a Missouri company, located in 8235 FORSYTH BLVD STE 400 PO BOX 11533; ST LOUIS, MO.




APEX 3508 (Formerly UTV DEWEY R)

Lower Mississippi River MM 937 | 2015-Sep-03

Initial Notification: On September 3, 2015, the USCG District 8 notified the NOAA SSC of a collision between two towing vessels on the Lower Mississippi River at MM 937 in the vicinity of Columbus, KY. One barge of slurry oil was severely damaged and discharged one tank's entire contents. USCG requests NOAA to provide product fate and effects. 

APEX 3508 (567136)

USCG ID	567136
Year	1975
Length	297.6 feet / 90.7 meters
Depth	10 feet / 3 meters
Breadth	54.1 feet / 16.5 meters
Gross Tonnage	1716
Net Tonnage	1716
Name	APEX 3508
Service	TANK BARGE
Trade	Coastwise Unrestricted
Hull Material	STEEL
Builder	DRAVO CORPORATION
Port	ST LOUIS MO
Owner	APEX HOLDING CO 8235 FORSYTH BLVD STE 400 PO BOX 11533 ST LOUIS, MO 63105
Previous Names	No Vessel Name Changes
Previous Owners	APEX HOLDING CO
Hull Number	6501
Imo
Call Sign
Date Issued	2013-11-26 05:00:00
Date Expires	2014-12-31 05:00:00
Owner Name	APEX HOLDING CO

 

Two men injured after their boat crashed on the rocks of Galveston Bay's North jetty off Bolivar, Texas

Two injured men are hoisted aboard a Coast Guard Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin helicopter after their boat crashed on the rocks of Galveston Bay's North jetty off Bolivar, Texas, Sept. 7, 2015. Fishermen nearby heard the crash and called the Coast Guard for help. U.S. Coast Guard video by Air Station Houston.

 SEPTEMBER 7, 2015
HOUSTON, TEXAS

Coast Guard helicopter and boat crews rescued two men after they ran aground on the Galveston North Jetty Monday morning, ejecting one of the men and injuring both.

A nearby fisherman heard the 20-foot-boat crash and notified watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston at about 1:30 a.m.

“This is a prime example that if you see something happen, report it. The two good Samaritans were vital in assisting and reporting," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Kathryn Carlin, who assisted in the rescues from Station Galveston. "If they hadn’t reported it, we would have never known.”

Coast Guard Station Galveston launched two response boats and located the men. Both men suffered multiple lacerations. It was reported that one man had a broken arm and the other man had a broken leg.

Three crewmen and two good Samaritans administered first aid while waiting for an Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin aircrew to medevac the men. The aircrew hoisted the men and met EMS at Scholes International Airport at Galveston. They were taken to UTMB Galveston for treatment.

"I’m pretty happy two people are going home to their kids," said Carlin.

Carlin was in waste deep water working with the helicopter's rescue swimmer to balance the hoist basket on rocks to safely recover the men.

The death toll from an explosion at a chemical factory in eastern China last week has jumped to 13

Chinese Chemical Factory Blast Death Toll Rises to 13


BEIJING — Sep 6, 2015, 6:11 AM ET






The death toll from an explosion at a chemical factory in eastern China last week has jumped to 13 after search and rescue efforts ended, a city government said.

A factory that produces adhesive materials exploded on Aug. 31 in Lijin county in Shandong province.

Two days after the blast, the official death toll stood at five. The Dongying city government, which administers the area, said the toll had risen to 13 following the completion of search and rescue efforts Saturday. It said all 13 bodies had been identified, but gave no further details. It said 25 other people had been injured, 11 of whom were still hospitalized.

A man on duty at the Dongying city government, who gave only his surname, Fan, said Sunday that the cause of the blast was still under investigation and had no further details.

The blast came nearly three weeks after massive chemical warehouse explosions in Tianjin — about 300 kilometers (190 miles) away — exposed lax enforcement of safety regulations.

The death toll from the Tianjin blasts stands at 161, with 12 people still missing, the Tianjin government's information office said on its microblog Sunday. The warehouses were closer to homes than is allowed under safety regulations, and were storing too much hazardous material.

EPA: Health care facilities including hospitals, pharmacies, nursing homes, and veterinary clinics would be banned from flushing certain unused pharmaceuticals

SEPTEMBER 7, 2015

Environmental Protection Agency Proposes To Halt Health Care Facilities From Flushing Some Drugs Down The Drain.

Water Pollution: Action aimed at unused pharmaceuticals considered hazardous waste

By Jessica Morrison



Health care facilities including hospitals, pharmacies, nursing homes, and veterinary clinics would be banned from flushing certain unused pharmaceuticals under a proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency.


The proposal is intended to protect waterways and reduce waste mismanagement in the health care industry, EPA says.


If finalized, the rule will affect certain unused drugs that, when they are discarded, are considered hazardous waste under federal law because they are particularly reactive or toxic. Examples include the chemotherapy drug mitomycin and pharmaceuticals with more than 0.3% warfarin as the sole active ingredient, such as the anticoagulant Coumadin. Because they are ignitable, pharmaceuticals prepared with alcohol may also be classified as hazardous waste under the nation’s waste disposal law, the Resource Conservation & Recovery Act. Other drugs are considered hazardous waste because they are corrosive.


Except for ignitable products, down-the-drain disposal of unused pharmaceuticals that are hazardous waste “is presently an allowable and common disposal practice among health care facilities,” according to EPA.


By the agency’s estimates, a ban on disposing of these drugs down sinks or toilets would prevent more than 6,400 tons of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals from entering waterways annually.


Mathy Stanislaus, EPA assistant administrator for solid waste and emergency response, says the proposed rule “will improve the safety and health of our communities.”


Groups representing drugmakers and health care facilities offered no comment on the proposal.

Pilot injured after a 2011 Vans RV-6A plane crash in a farm field in Floyd County, Georgia

Vans RV-6/6A planes similar to the one that crashed


SEPTEMBER 7, 2015

ROME, GA

John Bailey JBailey@RN-T.com

The pilot of a kit plane was injured Monday when his plane crashed in a farm field near 2068 Old Dalton Road, Rome, Gergia.
 
Mark Easterwood of Rome was piloting a silver 2011 fixed-wing, single-engine experimental aircraft manufactured by Vans Aircraft Inc. when the plane crashed nose-down.

Easterwood only suffered minor injuries, according to Floyd County Police Department spokesman Jerome Poole.

The plane took off from Richard B. Russell Airport that morning, a relatively short distance away.

County police were called in to keep the area secure until an official with the Federal Aviation Administration arrived to investigate the crash.

Easterwood was being treated at Redmond Regional Medical Center on Monday afternoon, according to Andrea Pitts director of marketing and public relations.

Aircraft Registration (N555TN)

Aircraft Summary
Summary	Owner	Airworthiness	Serial Number
2011 EASTERWOOD MARK W RV-6A Fixed wing single engine (2 seats / 1 engine)	EASTERWOOD MARK W ROME, GA (Co-owned)	Experimental	23623
Engine	Weight	Speed	Mode S Code
LYCOMING O-320-E3D Horsepower: 150 (Reciprocating)	Less than 12,500lbs	Not defined	51611664 / A713B4

Registration Details
Status	Certificate Issue Date	Airworthiness Date	Last Action Date	Expiration
Assigned	2001-04-04	2011-07-03	2015-08-07	2017-02-28

Registration History
Date	Owner	Location
07-Aug-2015	EASTERWOOD MARK W	ROME GA
16-Dec-2013	EASTERWOOD MARK W	GREENVILLE SC
17-Oct-2009	EASTERWOOD MARK W	GREEN COVE SPRINGS FL
02-Jun-2006	EASTERWOOD MARK W	LAKE STEVENS WA

Here is a webpage to get information on the Vans self-built airplanes:

http://www.vansaircraft.com/public/rv6.htm
The side-by-side RV-6 and its cousin, the tricycle gear RV-6A were introduced in 1986 and soon became the best-selling kit aircraft to date.



Date: 07-SEP-2015
Time: -10:00
Type:
Vans RV-6A
Owner/operator: Private
Registration: N555TN
C/n / msn: 23623
Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Substantial
Location: Near Richard B. Russell Regional Airport (KRMG), Rome, GA - United States of America
Phase: Landing
Nature: Unknown
Departure airport:

Destination airport:



Narrative:
The aircraft, an experimental Easterwood built RV-6A, force landed to open field terrain east of Richard B. Russell Regional Airport-J.H. Towers Field (KRMG), Rome, Georgia. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the sole pilot onboard received minor injuries.
Sources:

http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=179363
http://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/rome/news/local/pilot-suffers-minor-injuries-after-plane-crash-at-farm-on/article_6c08370c-5584-11e5-ba6c-3f07d26bbef9.html?mode=jqm
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=555TN