MEMBER ALERT Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc., Manager One Battery Park Plaza 31 st Fl., New York, NY 10004 USA Tel: +1 212 847 4500 Fax: +1 212 847 4599 https://www.american-club.com American Club Member Alert – April 24 , 20 20 1 APRIL 24, 2020 HIGH WATER PREPAREDNESS IN US RIVERS Along with the welcome blossoms and moderate temperatures, springtime inevitably brings forth months of snowmelt, heavy rains and threats of strong-to-severe winds and storms in the US. In most years, high water in the lower Mississippi River, has peaked and begins to fall by June. However, 2019 was not like most years. The winter and spring of 2019 saw major flooding in the US Midwest, particularly on the Missouri River and its tributaries. These waters eventually found their way to the lower Mississippi River where already higher than usual water levels were reported in the New Orleans area. Levels were still elevated in July 2019 when Hurricane Barry moved into the Gulf of Mexico and threatened to compound the situation with storm surge, which could have been devastating. In the result, water levels and flood risks remained high in the river and its tributaries through August 2019. Although conditions are not as severe as they were in 2019, the Mississippi River is high, and flood risk remains a serious concern for 2020 also. As of February 28, the Mississippi River had already exceeded the monitoring threshold of 15 feet (4.6 meters) for 21 days, compared with 16 days by the same date in 2019. Experts have predicted that the US will experience frequent and widespread precipitation, and cooler temperatures, than usual well into June this year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s National Weather Service expects the spring flood risk to remain higher than normal for the upper and lower Mississippi and tributary rivers. High-water conditions in the Mississippi River result in whipping currents, the formation of unpredictable eddies, and other hydrodynamic changes. In an already meandering river, these intensified water patterns present even greater risks to vessels. Vulnerabilities of vessels in regard to flood risk in the Mississippi River were readily apparent last year, when your Managers observed a surge of “contact damage” related incidents (i.e. collisions, groundings and damage to third party property). These highwater levels create a host of problems for vessels, including: • Unexpected draft restrictions causing delays of two or even three weeks for deep draft vessels when channel dredging is required. • Daylight only navigation restrictions in some areas. MEMBER ALERT Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc., Manager One Battery Park Plaza 31 st Fl., New York, NY 10004 USA Tel: +1 212 847 4500 Fax: +1 212 847 4599 https://www.american-club.com American Club Member Alert – April 24 , 20 20 2 • Damage to anchor windlasses or loss of anchors, which often “dig” deep into the soft mud as vessels are impacted by the strong current. • Standby tugs and 24-hour on-board pilotage at certain berths and midstream buoy facilities General navigation, docking, and anchoring can be further complicated by exceptionally swift currents (reaching 6 to 7 knots in some areas), increased shoaling, and the rapid formation and dissipation of eddies. Such conditions may cause vessels to shift and drag anchor or anchors getting buried and stuck by the sediment deposited by the strong currents. The industry relies heavily on the knowledge and experience of river