Fred Loxley completed demolition work for Paragon Marine Services, Inc., near Naples, Illinois, in August 2008. Paragon intentionally grounded this damaged barge on the banks of the Illinois River during high water. Call manager Larry Jamison (800-628-3785) for references.
Fred Loxley recovered all steel from this sunken barge near Beardstown, IL. The abandoned barge was 95-percent submerged in mud and water.
Duration of a barge demolition depends on:
a. mobilization
b. road access to sunken barge
c. soil stability near barge
d. demobilization
The sunken barge blocked passage and made docking by tug boats or other watercraft impossible.
This image shows Fred Loxley discussing the barge removal with the operator.
The operator removes the first piece of barge steel from the mud and water.
The operator removes more barge steel from the mud and water.
Fred Loxley personally oversees all barge demolition and steel removal.
Fred Loxley used two excavators for this demolition. Two excavators working together increase efficiency and productivity.
Fred Loxley's PC300 Komatsu excavator with its 60'-long front boom provided the necessary reach for the demolition.
Here Fred Loxley's two excavators are shown workng in tandem to recover steel from the barge submerged in mud and water. Note: depending on the stability of the soil near the barge, it may be necessary to work off crane mats and timber mats as seen in this photo.
Barge Access: as part of the mobilization, Fred Loxley built an access road to the sunken barge. Road building takes time and adds to the expense of a demolition. Here a bulldozer pulls a scrap trailer full of barge steel over the unpaved access road and away from the demolition site.
A steep levee, a rainy day and muddy roads:
Chained together, an excavator and a bulldozer pulled a scrap trailer over the muddy levee to a paved road. Once on solid pavement the trailer was hitched to a road tractor, and the road tractor hauled the recovered barge steel to the nearest recyling center.