08/31/2020
Longevity and Durability
This concrete barge was built around 1919 to serve as a rail ferry. At some point in it’s life it was converted for use in the Louisiana oil patch and ended up in the hands of Conoco Phillips. This concrete barge was operated in the harshest services one could imagine with the rough contact and stresses associated with rail ferry service, and in the harsh environments of the South Louisiana marshes and shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico. In 2016, CCP was asked to survey the barge. While it needed many repairs, it was structurally sound and this “old girls” life could have easily been extended for many more decades. Unfortunately, the collapse of the Louisiana oil patch economics in the last few years lead Conoco Phillips set plans to scrap the 100 year old concrete barge. (8/28/2023 Update - The barge has apparently not been scrapped as of this date and is still tied up southwest of DuLac, Louisiana. I have added some Google Earth images with a Long/Lat Pin for those that may be interested)
While CCP obviously didn’t build this particular barge, we have engineered, built, modified, and repaired many concrete barges since 1982. Our quality procedures for design and construction are far more advanced then back then, and we fully anticipate our concrete barges having life spans equal to or greater than this barge.
