(HOUSTON) (Nov. 22) — The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) recently presented Houston-based TITAN Salvage with its Hurricane Sandy Award for exhibiting "unprecedented support” immediately following the storm that devastated much of the Northeastern coast in late October 2012.
The award was presented during the Business Alliance Awards ceremony in Fort Belvoir, VA. During the ceremony, Vice Adm. Mark D. Harnitchek, director, DLA, presented TITAN’s Samina Mahmood, U.S. commercial manager, with a framed flag hand-crafted by the agency’s “flag ladies,” the group of women who have been embroidering the country’s official flags for more than 150 years.
“We were proud to have Samina accept this award on TITAN's behalf, as she worked tirelessly to make this response effort run as smoothly as possible on multiple levels,” said Lindsay Malen, director of business development, TITAN.
Shortly after Hurricane Sandy subsided, TITAN and its OPA 90 Marine Response Alliance partner, Marine Pollution Control (MPC), the largest and most experienced U.S. provider of emergency lightering services, worked together to mobilize MPC’s high-capacity pumping systems, which are traditionally used for industrial pumping services. The equipment was deployed at the site of the World Trade Center memorial and museum in New York City. Thanks to the team’s fast and effective work, water was removed quickly, allowing tourism to commence prior to the Thanksgiving holiday rush, a critical time for the city’s economy.
“TITAN was very proud to assist the City of New York and our government in their time of need,” said Malen. “It is wonderful to see what you can do with the strengths of your team, sister companies, partners and strategically placed equipment.”
In addition to deploying pumping equipment at the site for the World Trade Center, TITAN was also engaged in several other post-Sandy wreck removal and emergency response projects in some of the hardest hit areas along the Northeastern coast, including Staten Island, N.Y., where the 1,100 DWT tanker John B. Caddell washed ashore during the storm surge. That job, which included oily water and HAZMAT removal, securing hull breaches, ballasting, and installing anchor points was completed in only five days in partnership with Sea Wolf Marine, a N.J.-based marine towing company.
TITAN was later hired by the N.Y. Port Authority to remove the stricken barge New York from the Port of Newark, where it was stranded. TITAN successfully removed the vessel and refloated it in only three days using the company’s roller bags.
Next, TITAN, along with partner Inland Salvage, a Louisiana-based salvage response and wreck removal service provider, was hired once again by the N.Y. Port Authority to remove containers, which were either washed ashore or submerged near Governor’s Island, a 172-acre island in the heart of New York Harbor. To complete the job, TITAN and Inland Salvage mobilized a crane barge and dive team.
TITAN and Inland Salvage also joined forces to remove 11 barges that washed ashore in South Amboy, following the storm surge. Nine of the barges were successfully refloated using TITAN’s roller bags and the remaining two were delivered to a recycling facility for scrapping. The project was completed in only 19 days.
Finally, TITAN and Inland Salvage worked together to remove the N.Y. Waterways ferryboat U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg from where it washed ashore onto the greens of Liberty National Golf Course, which is positioned alongside the Hudson River in Jersey City, N.J. The teams were able to successfully ease the ferry back into the water in less than five days by once again deploying TITAN’s roller bags.
About TITAN Salvage
TITAN, a wholly owned subsidiary of Crowley Maritime Corporation, is a worldwide marine salvage, emergency response and wreck removal company based in Houston, Texas, that has performed more than 450 salvage and wreck removal projects since 1980, including some of the most technically demanding projects ever undertaken. The company also has offices and equipment depots in the UK, Singapore & Australia. TITAN responds to vessel emergencies around the world and is able to mobilize a worldwide network of expert salvage professionals and specialized, portable equipment within hours of activation. TITAN is accessible 24 hours a day through the company's main dispatch telephone number, +1-832-850-4150. Additional information about TITAN may be found at www.titansalvage.com.
