While its installation resulted in about $16.8 million in cost increases and a 12-month project timeline extension for the STURGIS barge decommissioning, a 440-ton crane that is key to the job is operating properly, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Monday.
The Corps, which is leading decommissioning of the onetime nuclear-reactor-equipped World War II Liberty Ship that powered military and civilian operations in the Panama Canal during the 1960s, announced that it recently used the crane to lift and remove a 35-ton decommissioned storage tank from the vessel. The storage tank was then transported to Waste Control Specialists in Andrews County, Texas, for disposal.
The barge, which contains low-level radioactive waste, arrived at the Port of Galveston, Texas, in April 2015, after being towed about 1,700 miles from the James River Reserve Fleet in Virginia. The Corps suspended decommissioning work in February when it discovered compatibility issues with the crane and the surrounding dock. Work resumed in May, when the Corps announced the $16.8 million cost increase for the now-$51.5 million decommissioning.
The Corps said crews will next focus on dismantling of the barge’s reactor containment vessel canopy, which will require segmentation and recycling over the next several months. The canopy contains a considerable amount of lead, according to the Corps.
The agency noted that all waste shipments from the barge have been successful and without incident. Additionally, the Corps has found no evidence of radioactive material or increased radiation exposure from the STURGIS outside the reactor containment area.