barge was being delivered, they were ready for what came next. Ramping up for the handling of liquid cargoes required training and education of AEP’s entire workforce. Already, more 1,000 employees have been trained over the course of the past eight months and the firm expects to complete the process very shortly. Using a combination of third-party and in-house trainers, different layers of awareness training and 40-hour Hazwoper sessions were held. With the help of a third-party vendor, cargo transfer procedures, ballasting and Vessel Response Plans were formulated in accordance with U.S. Coast Guard requirements. Beyond this, AEP took several groups of employees through the construction shipyard to show how a tank barge is put together and the equipment which is required. AEP, for the time being, will use contract tankerman services. Those vendors, according to AEP, will be audited to ensure environmental and operational standards. The entry into the tank barge markets involved tremendous changes in AEP’s safety and training protocols. A “Liquid Addendum” section to AEP’s RCP manual, which deals with vessels having tank barges in tow, was added. The standard new hire training course
was changed to add Awareness and Security training to the agenda and AEP will require refresher training for all individuals who received the 24 hour technician level or 40 hour Hazwoper training, including all wheelhouse personnel, Barge Maintenance, Qualified Individuals and Incident Command Team members. Around the next Bend AEP River Operations began operations of its new Liquids Division at the end of January with receipt of the first of 20 tank barges. All 20 units are expected to be delivered within 2014, meaning AEP will soon impact the inland tank barge markets, in a small way, at first. As the possibility of increased tank barge traffic increases, especially with the very real possibility of Coast Guard approvals of the carriage of fracking materials on inland rivers also increases demand for existing tonnage. An AEP spokeswoman would not rule out further expansion down the road. In the meantime, look for AEP to bring the same commitment to safety and environmental performance to the transport of liquid products that they have offered for dry commodities for the last 41 years. That’s good news for everyone.
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