Global Wraps up Year-long Project to Remove 11 Derelict Vessels, Debris and Dock Structures from the Columbia River
SCAA member Global started the project in late 2017 and it took an entire year to remove all the derelict vessels. The River Queen was removed early this summer and the final bit of the waste stream from the vessel including all the hazardous materials was completed in September 2018. The final waste totals and the “all clear” from the State of Oregon was given early last month.
A Monumental Task:
Removing Multiple Derelict Commercial Vessels
Goble, OR lies on the Columbia River approximately 70
nautical miles from the Pacific Ocean, and the area surrounding the site
provides critical habitat to salmon, osprey and numerous other species of
birds, fish and mammals. The Columbia is the largest river in the Pacific
Northwest, vital to fishing, shipping and recreation; an environmental disaster
on the waterway would have a substantial ecological, economic and cultural
impact on the area.
In August 2017, Global was awarded a contract by the Oregon
Department of State Lands to remove a flotilla of 11 derelict commercial
vessels, debris and dock structures from a state-owned leasehold on the
Columbia River. The vessels were: a 300-ton dredging vessel; the River Queen,
an 800-ton former car ferry; a 300-ton crane barge; three steel-hulled material
barges; a steel tugboat; two wooden tugs; a motor vessel; and a sailboat.
The site had been a problem for many years with a history of
recurring “mystery spills”; Global had been contracted by the USCG and
regulatory stakeholders to defuel sunken vessels on multiple occasions as they
continued to sink at the site. The state terminated the leaseholder’s contract
and ordered immediate removal of the vessels; at the time the project was put
out to bid, three vessels at the site had already sunk and the remaining
derelicts held the potential to release thousands of gallons of diesel, heavy
fuel oil and other contaminants into the river. The US Coast Guard conducted an
initial sweep of the vessels, removing the bulk hydrocarbons by defueling
accessible tanks and removing hazardous fluids and solids, and an asbestos
removal team began work on the known asbestos containing materials (ACM) in the
River Queen.
Commencing Cleanup
Efforts
Global’s initial work included booming around the site to
contain any leaking contaminants and debris; dive and environmental crews also
completed full video surveys of all vessels above and below water, and
documented their contents. The two wooden tugs and the motor vessel had sunk,
and the other 8 were in various stages of disrepair; several vessels were
silted in near the bank. Although the River Queen was at the top of the state’s
priority list for removal because of her potential pollution risk, most of the
other vessels were moored or sunk in place around the former car ferry; they
would have to be removed before the River Queen could be accessed.
Global crews began dewatering the floating vessels as needed
to maintain buoyancy until they could be towed to a shipyard upstream for
disposal; they also removed residual fuels, oils and other hazardous materials
to mitigate the possibility of release until the vessels could be removed from
the site. The decks of the floating vessels were cleared of several tons of
debris including scrap metal, timbers, tires, broken construction equipment and
camping trailers. A derrick barge was utilized for lifting and clamshelling
operations to remove the sunken wooden vessels form the river bottom, and all
clamshelled debris was placed onto materials barges. The barges were lined with
plastic as a secondary containment, controlling contaminated water and waste.
All derelict commercial vessels at the Goble site were under
a Captain of the Port order, requiring a tow plan for release prior to
movement. After a US Coast Guard tow plan was approved, each structurally sound
floating vessel was towed upstream to a disused shipyard that Global had
contracted for the dismantling process. Once at the shipyard, rollerbags were
used to haul the vessels up the boat ramp onto shore in lieu of a crane; the
rollerbags provided a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly
approach. The vessels were rolled into a 60-mil HDPE-lined containment area.
Crews conducted hazardous materials sampling before breaking the vessels down
for recycling and proper disposal and ensuring worker safety was at the
forefront.
A River Queen No
Longer
Moored at the center of the Goble site was the River Queen,
a 215-foot long steel-hulled former car and passenger steamship ferry that had
been turned into a floating restaurant and dance hall in the 1960s and had
since fallen into serious disrepair. The vessel’s two stories of decks and
pilot house were collapsing in on themselves; she was silted in and had
developed a significant list. Because the River Queen was structurally unsound
she couldn’t be towed upriver to the shipyard, so Global’s project managers,
salvage master and naval architect developed a plan to remove the vessel’s
topside structures and the cantilevered car deck at the Goble site, leaving
just the steel hull. Once those elements were removed, the vessel’s hull could
be placed into a floating drydock in the middle of the Columbia River and
safely towed to the shipyard for final breaking.
Lead paint and asbestos were removed from the River Queen by
abatement crews on site; once the topside deck structures were cleared of
contaminants they were systematically deconstructed, and the debris was loaded
onto materials barges. The hull was braced for structural stability, then
maneuvered into the floating drydock and towed upriver. At the shipyard,
abatement crews continued their work on the hull, followed by teams using wire
saws and torches to cut the hull into portions that could be lifted out by
crane.
Returned to Nature
Once the River Queen was removed from the Goble site, Global
crews were able to remove all remaining mooring pilings and dock structures,
returning the leasehold and shoreline to its pristine natural state. The amount
of scrap, hazardous materials and liquid waste the Global team removed from the
site is staggering:
• 80 tons of
hazardous waste
• 510 tons of solid
waste
• 113 tons of liquid
waste and oily water
• 105 tons of
miscellaneous waste materials (tires, etc.)
• 1,730 tons of
recyclable metals (~800 tons were from the demolition of the River Queen
All the work on this project was
performed with close adherence to local, state and federal laws and permitting,
with concerned efforts to minimize environmental impact at both the project
site and the breakdown shipyard. The success of the Goble project has relied on
clear communication between the many parties involved, including
subcontractors, state agencies, environmental permitting agencies and the US
Coast Guard.
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