Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
2/13/2015
The Sturgis Barge is scheduled for arrival in Galveston, Texas, for decommissioning in May, more than six months after it had been scheduled to make the trip, the Army Corps of Engineers said this week. The original timeline called for the barge to be towed down from Virginia last fall, but that date had been pushed back due to the city’s delay in issuing a permit that would enable the decommissioning to take place in its port. The Corps originally estimated it would take three years to complete the project, with a summer 2017 estimated project completion, but that may be pushed back three to six months due to the delay, the Corps has previously said.
Following the city’s approval of the permit last month, the Corps has revised its timeline schedule, including a two week baseline survey beginning next week at the port. “We have revised the project schedule and anticipate that the Sturgis will leave Virginia sometime in April and arrive in Galveston in May,” Army Corps spokesperson Brenda Barber said in an email. “It will take approximately three weeks to arrive in Galveston. Once the vessel is secured at the Malin International Shipyard, the contractor will begin the work to remove the residual radioactive and/or hazardous materials and complete radiological surveys to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations. It is anticipated that the STURGIS will be in Galveston for 14-18 months.”
The Corps issued a contract to CB&I Federal Services earlier this year for the dismantlement of the MH-1A nuclear reactor currently installed on the barge after the vessel is towed down to Galveston for decommissioning. The permit issued by the city gives Malin International Ship Repair, the company that will host the barge, the permission to move forward. The decommissioning of the barge in Galveston allows for accessible infrastructure leading to the EnergySolutions disposal site in Utah, the Corps has said in the past.
