Diesel Returns to Blytheville

There’s a reason that the Watco team places so much emphasis on building customer relationships. It’s our customer-first mentality, plus, many times, those relationships will lead to new opportunities for Watco. Such is the case at the barge terminal in Blytheville, Arkansas.

For the past several years, the terminal has specialized in fertilizer and fertilizer blending. However, at one time, the location also served the diesel industry. An employee of a former Blytheville diesel customer had taken a position with another company, and when they needed to move and store diesel, he thought of the Blytheville facility. He reached out to his Watco connection, who introduced him to Len Crescenzo, the sales manager who covers the Blytheville terminal.

Talks about bringing the diesel into the facility began in mid-March with an in-tank deadline of May. There was a lot to get accomplished in just a short amount of time.

“Originally, the contractors said the facility wouldn’t be ready until June 22, almost a month behind what was required; we would’ve lost the opportunity,” said Crescenzo. “I can’t say enough about Watco’s project management team and how they helped make this happen. Mike McAllister, vice president of operations, stepped in and did everything he needed to do to make sure it would happen. By separating the project into two phases, we were able to complete what we needed to do so we could bring in the diesel.”

The U.S. Coast Guard regulates the transport of diesel, so the facility was upgraded to Coast Guard standards. Brent Shields, AVP of Safety, and Sean Strong, AVP of Environmental Services, took the lead in meeting Coast Guard requirements and passing inspections to free up the rest of the team to prepare the facility for the incoming diesel.

Preparations at the facility included cleaning out onsite tanks, installing specified safety mechanisms, new pumps, modifications to the piping system, and installing flow alarms. Senior Safety Manager Kevin Wright provided required hazmat training to the 17 team members at the facility. Each team member was also required to obtain a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card as part of the Maritime Transportation Security Act, which is required by Coast Guardlicensed facilities.

Terminal Manager Vancell Lucas said, “It was crunch time, and there were several things that needed to be done in a short amount of time. The safety team came in to assist, and they did an outstanding job getting us through the whole process and giving us a hand to make sure we got our TWIC cards, and anything else needed to make sure we met all safety requirements.”

The first barges began arriving at Blytheville on May 22. The diesel was pumped through the 1.5-milelong pipe from the dock to the tanks. It took two weeks for all of the barges – 12 from the north and nine from the south – to arrive and get unloaded into the tanks. The final amount of diesel unloaded: 358,00 barrels or approximately 15,036,000 gallons.

Crescenzo said, “The fact that we were able to get it ready to go in about a 30-day window is impressive. The team was able to complete the project a full month early, and now the next step will be working on phase two, which will be the outbound operations side of the project.”