MGMT brings capability of land to convenience of water
particular that is known by both U . S . grain exporters and foreign buyers is Associated Terminals . Associated Terminals is the largest stevedoring company on the lower Mississippi River . And what is a stevedoring company ? It is a company that loads and unloads cargoes from vessels or barges . The cargoes can be liquid or bulk and can include anything from fertilizer inbound into the U . S ., to grain , coal , lumber and other commodities that bound for export markets . Associated Terminals has earned a tremendous reputation in the market over its short and storied lifetime . One of its many unique assets is the Myrtle Grove Mid-Stream Terminal . The MGMT is a floating grain elevator that is positioned close to the mouth of the Mississippi River between mile marker 56 and mile marker 58 . The mile marker numbers indicate how many miles the corresponding location is from the mouth of the Mississippi River .
The MGMT is basically a grain elevator mounted atop a large flat deck barge and held in position via a series of 4-inch steel mooring cables connected from the barge to mooring buoys . The mooring buoys are held in position by a number of pilings driven into the floor of the Mississippi River some 70 feet down into the river bed . The buoy is connected from the floor to anchors pilings , to the floating buoy itself by a massive steel anchor chain . The MGMT has to use these mooring buoy structures to keep the MGMT in position , as the MGMT rig is always battling the constant current of the Mississippi River , estimated to be about five or six knots ( six to seven miles ) per hour .
The MGMT is a 24 / 7 operation with crews working 12 hour shifts . Crews arrive on board the MGMT via a crew boat — a steel hull boat about 40 feet in length . The ride from the Turn Services dock to the MGMT rig is about a 15-minute trip .
The MGMT is completely self-contained with four diesel engines providing power to generate enough electricity to power the grain elevator ’ s massive Heyl-Patterson marine leg — a moveable bucket elevator designed for large loads at fast speeds . It can unload a typical inland river barge of grain in about 45 minutes to an hour . In addition to the marine leg , there is approximately 800 tons of storage / blend tanks on board ; two Federal Grain inspection Service grain scales on board ; an FGIS Lab on board for the collection of the grain samples via a diverter sampler , the same mechanism in land based export houses ; seven conveyor belts ; and two pedestal cranes that are operated via remote control for the purpose of removing and replacing barge covers and placing skid steer loaders into and out of the barge .
As for the capabilities of the MGMT , it can handle pretty much anything that can fit in the Mississippi River . The MGMT sits atop about 70 feet to 80 feet of muddy Mississippi River water , so it can load anything that will fit into the Mighty Miss .
The control room of the MGMT is what one would expect to find in a land based export house and then some : graphic interface screens and a series of high definition cameras to have “ eyes on ” the barges being off-loaded , the vessel being loaded and any place where there is activity the MGMT . An onboard weather radar completes the suite of onboard high tech offerings , as the MGMT crew always has to be mindful of winds and fast-moving thunderstorms . The weather component is important to the vessel loading program because if it begins to rain , vessel loading operations have to stop , loading arms must be retracted , and vessel hatches have to be closed . While on the starboard side of the MGMT , the unloading of the barges will have to cease , the Heyl-Patterson leg will have to be lifted from the barge , and the barge covers “ flown ” back into the over-under position on the barges by the MGMT ’ s two remote controlled tower cranes .
As impressive as MGMT ’ s onboard suite of technology is , it pales in comparison to Associated Terminal ’ s shore-based technology . The Associated Terminal ’ s main office complex in Covent , Louisiana — more than 80 miles away — has access to the same information in real-time via an extensive network of fiber optic cables . The “ war room ” of the Convent location is about the size of an indoor basketball court . The room is laid out as one big open concept office area — no office cubicles , but a series of desk and monitors much like one would expect to see at NASA ’ s Houston Space Center . One entire wall of the room is taken up with a series of high definition monitors about 80 feet wide and 20 feet tall . From this room , AT has “ eyes on ” every operation in their book of assets : from Baton Rouge , La , to Myrtle Grove , La .
Although the MGMT is an impressive rig , it is only part of what makes Associated Terminals an industry leader . The emphasis on safety and technology by this company is as unparalleled as their commitment to customer service .
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