On the early morning of September 8, the MV Golden Ray capsized off the coast of Brunswick, GA in St Simon Sound, approximately 80 miles south of Savannah.  The exact cause of the accident has not been finally determined.  Initially, four of the twenty-four individuals on board were trapped.  They were subsequently rescued safely.  However, the ongoing environmental hazards continue now over a month later. 

Fuel and oil continue to leak from the vessel.  When the accident occurred, the ship contained roughly 300,000 gallons within its tanks.  To date, 220,000 gallons have been successfully pumped off.  Unfortunately, there have been ongoing oil slicks located in the area, as well as oil coating the plant life along shorelines.  Thousands of feet of oil spill containment boom have been deployed in the area to control the spread of the hydrocarbons and protect the shorelines.

The US Coast Guard is leading the Unified Command, a joint recovery and salvage effort between the state of Georgia, the USCG, and the shipping company Hyundai Glovis’ contractor, Gallagher Marine Systems.  Crews of up to 400 people and 70 vessels are participating in the clean-up and recovery effort. 

The entire world continues to monitor the spread and mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.  Since February 2020, government officials across the US have been forced to make difficult choices regarding quarantines, shutdowns, social distancing, and personal protection equipment (PPE) protocols.  While the early models over-estimated the potential number of cases and deaths associated with the Corona Virus outbreak, there’s no doubt it has had a significant health impact in the US and across the globe. 

One of the early challenges faced here in the US was the ability to perform testing for COVID-19 on a massive scale.  This required the development of effective testing, as well as the need to administer and evaluate millions of tests.   One of the common models deployed domestically was the development of drive-through test sites that allowed potential carriers of the deadly disease to remain in their cars while proceeding through the test process.  This helped to limit exposure to other people and medical professionals administering the test, while also proving to be efficient logistically. 

As a result, testing sites were set up in large parking lots across the country.  Tents were often used to house the COVID-19 test facility, while generators were also commonly deployed to provide power to run these temporary facilities.   Generators require fuel to produce electricity, and that’s where Texas Boom Company has helped the cause.  Texas Boom sells diesel fuel tank trailers that serve the purpose of keeping generators fueled quite well.

Furling lines (also referred to as reefing lines) are an optional feature on turbidity curtains.  These ropes run vertically spanning the height of the turbidity curtain on both sides at set intervals.  The furling lines are attached at the top through tabs with grommets, at the bottom at the ballast chain through a grommet, and then looping back to the top on the reverse side of the skirt to another attachment tab.  The furling lines can be used to adjust the depth that the skirt extends below the surface.  They can also be used to slope the bottom of the turbidity curtain to mirror the contour of the bottom.  Because the depth of the turbidity curtain can be adjusted, it allows the curtain to be used in multiple locations, at locations with varying depths, and at locations with significant tidal swings.

Turbidity curtains are most effective when the bottom of the skirt is suspended a foot above the bottom.  This prevents the build-up of silt on the base of the skirt which over time can result in the freeboard of the turbidity curtain becoming submerged below the water surface.  The bottom of a turbidity curtain dragging on the bottom can also generate additional silt.   When the skirt drags on the bottom, it can also reduce the life of the turbidity curtain.  Finally, but leaving a gap between the skirt and the bottom of the body of water, it allows for fish and other wildlife to freely bypass the turbidity curtain without harm. 

Furling lines can also aid in the deployment and retrieval of turbidity curtains.  It is typically easier to handle a turbidity curtain when the skirt is furled or bundled against the flotation.  This reduces the impact of tides, currents, and wind.  The furling lines are typically loosened once a turbidity curtain is anchored into place, allowing the skirt to drop.  Likewise, the furling lines can be used to bundle the turbidity curtain skirt while it is still in the water, making the removal less burdensome as well. 

Cranberries are one of only a limited number of fruits native to the US that are commercially viable.  They are grown in the northern part of the United States, including New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin.  Cranberry farms are also located in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Quebec.  There are roughly 1000 cranberry growers in North America, so it is a specialized pursuit.  Americans consume 400 million pounds of cranberries annually, with 20 percent of that consumption occurring during Thanksgiving.  A majority of the remaining crop is consumed via juices or juice blends.  

To our valued customers, we wanted to provide an update on Texas Boom Company relative to the Corona Virus outbreak.  

The entire Texas Boom Company team hopes you, your co-workers, and your families are safe and remain healthy during these uncertain times. We have been working continuously to address the ongoing challenges posed by COVID-19. The staff here continues to comply with all Local, State and Federal guidelines to ensure the safety and well being of our employees and the needs of our customers. As a supplier to many Critical Infrastructure Sectors, Texas Boom Company is considered an essential business and will remain operational during this time. Our team is here and ready to serve you and meet the needs of our customers. 

While we always strive to produce quickly, we are aware that now is the time that customers may need a product faster than usual. Our crews are working diligently to build up our inventory so we can have the product ready to ship when you need it.  

Differences between Containment Boom and Turbidity Curtains

To the casual observer, it may be hard to differentiate between a spill containment boom and a turbidity curtain.  They do in fact look similar when deployed in the water and differences can be subtle and hidden below the surface of the water.  Depending on the application, oil spill containment boom can be used as an effective silt barrier when the skirt length required is shorter due to shallow water conditions.   In the image shown below, a spill containment boom has been deployed to serve as a turbidity curtain. 

Texas Boom Company is a manufacturer of oil spill containment boom, silt curtains, turbidity barriers, secondary containment berms, and collapsible fabric bladder tanks.  In addition, Texas Boom Company offers custom fabrication of products constructed of industrial-grade fabrics.  These fabrics are typically vinyl-coated fabrics or urethane fabrics.  All manufacturing is performed in our Houston, Texas facility by our team highly skilled craftsmen.  TBC has been manufacturing these products since 1986, and we stand behind our work.  

Manufacturing these products requires a number of processes.  As an example, to manufacture oil spill containment boom, there are a number of steps involved to deliver a durable, well-built product.   High-quality closed-cell foam in sheet form is rolled into logs or cut to length from extruded foam logs.  PVC coated fabric is cut to width in roll form and either RF welded or heat sealed to form the appropriate foam chambers, seams, skirts, tension cable pockets, and ballast chain pockets.  Aluminum end connectors are cut to length, drilled with mounting holes and connector pinholes and assembled onto the booms with stainless steel nuts and bolts.  Coated tension cables are strung through pockets and secured with shackles to the end connector extrusions.  Ballast chains are added to pockets on the bottom of the containment boom skirts.  Adding brand labels to the containment boom is the final step before the sections are folded and bundled, and then palletized. 

Our products are heavily scrutinized throughout the manufacturing process.  Welds are checked for durability and continuity.  Dimensions are regularly verified.  Fabric is inspected for flaws.  Extrusions are examined to endure compatibility with oil spill containment boom from other manufacturers. Care is taken to avoid damage to the product during manufacturing, packaging, and handling.  Quality is the top priority on every order shipped from Texas Boom Company.   When you see the TBC brand, you can feel confident in the product you have purchased.    

Pillow tanks are collapsible fabric tanks that resemble a pillow when filled.  These type bladder tanks are made by welding or sealing durable fabric around all four sides and adding valves for filling, emptying and pressure relief.  

There are a number of benefits to pillow tanks, and many of these are highlighted below:

Over the last few years, beachgoers have been faced with the awful sights and smell of stinking seaweed washing up on the shorelines.  Conditions have been perfect for the massive growth of Sargassum, the aquatic vegetation that continues to pile up on beaches throughout the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.  The staffs at resorts and hotels work tirelessly to keep their beaches clean and attractive for guests.  Many rely on using heavy equipment to clear the beaches daily of the Sargassum piling up on the sand.   The task is required to be performed continuously when large mats of the seaweed arrive.

Sargassum isn’t all bad.  Offshore, it can provide excellent habitat for sea turtles, crabs, fish, and other sea creatures.  Onshore, it’s a different story.  No one likes the feel of seaweed against their bodies while trying to enjoy the ocean.  As Sargassum piles up on the beach, it creates a handful of problems.  In addition to being unsightly, it also begins to decay onshore.  As it rots, it attracts insects and produces hydrogen sulfide.  Hydrogen sulfide is the same gas that gives rotten eggs their sulfurous smell and can cause breathing problems for beachgoers and boaters with asthma.  Scientists predict that the current trend of massive Sargassum floats to continue for the foreseeable future.   The Sargassum growth is tentatively linked to rising levels of nutrients in the seawater, including nitrogen and phosphorus.

Texas Boom Company offers a Seaweed Boom that serves as a floating barrier to Sargassum before it reaches the shore.  Because Sargassum floats, these seaweed barriers block the nuisance from reaching the guests and the beach.  The Seaweed Boom is anchored offshore, in parallel to the beach, to keep the seaweed away and leaving clear swimming areas for the guests.  The Sargassum can either be collected along the barrier or be deflected to a designated shore location to allow for pick up.  Using these floating Sargassum barriers can both improve guest experiences and lower costs to keep the beaches free of seaweed. 

Ship wrecks are an unfortunate reality in the ever expanding global marketplace.  Weather, inexperienced or inattentive crews, and equipment failures can all be contributing factors.  When ships do sink, capsize, or run aground, and immediate concern is the likliehood of the escape of oil, fuel, and other hydrocarbons that can have a negative impact on the environment.  The damage that can be done to local wildlife, fisheries, and the ecosystem can be far reaching.  In addition, we have seen numerous examples of the damage spills can do to people who are impacted; fisheries, tourism, transportation, and recreation are just a few examples.  

A recent occurence of another shipping accident was the capsizing of the Palau-registered Queen Hind, a livestock transport departing Romania in route to Saudi Arabia on Novemeber 24.  The crew of 30 was rescued, along with a small number of sheep that were being exported.  Tragically, over 14,000 sheep died as the result of this ship overturning shortly after leaving port. 

This accident emphasizes a growing concern regarding the welfare of animals being transported via long voyages aboard ships and freighters. In addition to the animals welfare, there are additional environmental and economic considerations, and a growing percentage of Europeans and voicing concern and calling on the European Union to force changes.  

Turbidity curtains, also referred to as silt curtains, offer a means to keep suspended particles from vacating the immediate area in a body of water.  The curtains hang from floats down into the water and impede the flow of the turbidity or silt.  Over time, the suspended sediment settles back to the bottom.  These floating curtains can be made from solid fabrics that impede all flow of water, or built using a geotextile mesh  fabric that allows water to flow through while still blocking the silt or other particles from escaping. 

One application for turbidity curtains is to contain runoff from storm drain or pump station discharge points.  These are typically exit points for storm drains systems that provide drainage from developed urban areas in order to prevent or minimize flooding.  Because the water is collected from public streets and other areas, the water is prone to wash away trash, dirt, and other debris.  Instead of simply dumping this water into waterways, the systems may run the water through filtering processes to remove garbage and larger debris.  However, these filters may not capture all of the materials suspended in the water. 

Texas Boom Company just completed fabrication of a large order of 250 gallon fuel bladders headed for use by the US Army.  These durable fuel bladders are constructed with fuel grade encapsulated Urethane fabric that is designed with this specific application in mind.  The tank seams are welded, meaning the seams offer the same strength as the fabric itself.   

Every day there are countless ongoing dredging and marine construction projects ongoing across the United States.  These marine projects are driven by the need for repairs, development, and shoaling.  These work zones typically require equipment and operations to be ongoing in waterways that are normally navigated by boat traffic.  As these projects are executed, safety hazards can often arise not only for the workers themselves, but also for anyone on a boat in the area.  

On October 17, a small commuter plane carrying 42 people skidded off the runway in Unalaska, Alaska.  Unalaska is located in the Aleutian Islands and is home to Dutch Harbor, one of the busiest US fishing ports and a frequent point of reference on the popular Discovery Network TV show "Deadliest Catch."  Two people were critically injured while 10 others required medical care.  Amongst the passengers was a high school swim team.  No one on the swim team was injured.  

Photo Credit:  Jim Paulin

The Ocean Cleanup project has launched its second attempt at using a boom system to remove plastic from the world’s oceans.  Last year, the initial design was launched, including the use of a 2000 foot boom to capture floating plastic in the Pacific.  The target is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch located midway between Hawaii and California.   The initial design was launched in September of 2018, but by January, a section of the boom had become disconnected.  In addition, there were issues with the inconsistent speed of how the boom traveled relative to the floating trash. 

The team at The Ocean Cleanup went back to the drawing board to tackle some of the design issues.  Instead of “chasing” the debris, the new design allows for the track to float into the U-shaped boom which is slowed by a large sea anchor.  The boom system was broken down into segments, allowing it to be serviced at sea instead of requiring a tow back to San Francisco.  In addition, the boom size was scaled back to make it feasible for the entire system to be towed at a much higher speed.  Finally, the collection boom and curtain combination has been moved forward of the main boom floatation, reducing structural stress on the overall system. 

This new approach has been launched and is showing early signs of success.  Time will tell if this new design is on the right track, but there’s no doubt that the goal is important to accomplish.  Reducing the trash at sea will certainly lessen the impact on sea life. 

Bladder Tanks (also referred to as Pillow Tanks) offer users a wide range of applications and flexibility.  Because they can be compressed and rolled or folded when empty, the tanks can more readily be moved and set up in remote locations. Collapsed, the bladders require only a fraction of the space to store. Made of coated fabric, the weight of the material is also typically less than that used in rigid tanks, also making the bladder tanks easier to move.  While the fabric used is very durable, these type tanks are subject to abrasions and tears, so care must be taken during storage, deployment, and use.  When bladder tanks are deployed on rough surfaces, a liner is recommended below the bladder to help reduce wear.  While not suitable for every application, these bladder tanks offer great utility to end-users.  

Texas Boom Company isn’t the biggest fish in the pond amongst containment boom manufacturers.  However, we are quite adept at working with customers to devised customized solutions to meet their needs and tackle problems.  Recently, TBC landed a call from the owner of a Texas-based fish farming operation.  His recently established 135-acre Redfish (Red Drum) farm is located near Port Lavaca, Texas.  This aquaculture (sometimes referred to as mariculture) operation raises fish that are harvested and sold to restaurants and grocery stores.   Aquaculture is an expanding field, and operating techniques are perpetually evolving. 

The challenge at hand was to utilize a containment boom to address a combination of problems.  When feed was being distributed into the water for the fish to eat, several issues were arising.  It was a common occurrence for the wind to push the floating fish feed to shore before it was consumed by the fish.  As the fish approached the shoreline, it increased their exposure to wading birds that lurked at the side of the fish ponds waiting to prey on the fish.  In addition, the fish food that was not consumed would end up on the shoreline, attracting more birds, and worse yet, wild hogs.  Wild hogs are well known to destroy all sorts of terrain, including the banks of these fish ponds.  Each of these issues translates into unwanted expenses and losses for anyone involved in aquaculture. 

The team at Texas Boom Company worked with the owner of the mariculture farm to develop specifications for a customized containment boom system that was big enough to corral the floating fish feed while not impacting the movement of the fish below the surface.  This collaborative process included a site visit by TBC’s president to fully understand the challenges and land on a successful solution.  Ultimately, a small 6-inch containment boom (3-inch freeboard and 3-inch draft) was agreed upon, with a color selection of black since visibility to boaters was a non-issue.  Because this installation was intended to be permanent, stainless steel nuts and bolts were used to connect the grommets versus installing aluminum quick connectors. This grommeted connector design is the type used on TBC's Type I Turbidity Curtains and is less expensive.  In this case, the containment boom was designed to contain fish feed instead of oil or debris.

As the 2019 WEDA Dredging Summit and Exposition wraps up, Texas Boom Company is pleased to announce that Seth Gintz with Certified Laboratories in Charleston, SC was selected as the winner of RTIC 30 Soft Cooler.  This event has proven to be an outstanding opportunity to interact with many of the outstanding dredging companies that operate across the United States and Canada.  

Texas Boom Company serves the dredging industry by providing top quality silt curtains used in dredging and marine construction projects.  TBC offers a wide range of these silt curtains including permeable and impermeable options.  The heights of these silt curtains range from three to 100 feet and they are typically supplied in 50 or 100 foot lengths.  Custom built silt curtains are no problem, as we can accommodate virtually any specification.  

In addition, Texas Boom offers drive-on berms that can be useful to decontaminate or wash down equipment while containing the run-off.  The side walls of these drive-on containment berms are filled with open cell foam that crushes under pressure but flexes back to the original shape, allowing vehicles and equipment to drive in and out without removal of the side wall to allow access.  

Recently a historic wooden schooner sank in Hamburg, Germany as the result of a collision with a 462-foot container ship.  The 136-year-old sailing ship had just undergone an expensive renovation and had recently returned to Hamburg from a Danish shipyard.  There happened to be response vessels in the area, and the 43 passengers were quickly rescued.  One passenger was severely injured while four others also incurred relatively minor injuries.  

                Image Source:  DLRG

As the recovery in the Bahamas continues following the damage caused by Hurricane Dorian, it offers a lesson in the value of preparedness.  Companies and governments around the globe work to balance the expense and efforts to plan for all contingencies against the threat of a wide variety of disasters and the resulting damage.  With regard to oil spills, there is no doubt that the damage can vast and extensive.  It highlights the need to have oil spill response equipment on-site and ready for immediate deployment.  Waiting to bring oil spill containment boom, oil skimmers, and other equipment in after the fact, especially when infrastructure may be damaged and access severely limited can often compound an already serious problem.  The sooner the equipment is deployed after a spill, the more effective the containment and recovery efforts will be.   

Photo Credit:  Ramon Espinosa/AP