Ergonots After Hours – Port Cities Emergency Operations

Along the banks of the Mississippi, preparations for the flood of 2011 began weeks in advance. But with the river projected to rise to historic levels, there were still many unknowns in the days before the crest. In the absence of historical precedent came extraordinary teamwork and coordination between Ergon employees. On short notice, additional emergency plans were devised and implemented to manage the unprecedented water levels, and employees worked around the clock to ensure that product was delivered to customers on time and on spec.

Obstacles at the Docks
Ergon Terminaling, Inc., (ETI) in Vicksburg, Mississippi, was one of many critical locations affected by the flood. When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicted the river would rise above the record set in 1927, ETI employees knew they would face extreme challenges. “We rely heavily on our three barge loading and unloading facilities to bring in raw materials and load out our finished product,” said Steve Reed, Oil Movements Manager at the Vicksburg terminal, “We knew if anything impeded bringing in new materials, we would have to shut down.”

Preventive Action
To prevent such a scenario, Terminaling managers shut down the dock that was projected to be overrun by floodwater. By diverting those resources to the two remaining docks, ETI’s staff managed to load and unload their products without interruption. But their problems didn’t end there. “The main line of the KCS rail went underwater, so we couldn’t receive products that were coming on railcars from Vicksburg,” said Steve. At that point, contingency plans for sustained transloading operations were put into action.

24/7 Operations
The contingency plan called for Ergon Trucking, Inc., to deliver supplies from the refinery in Vicksburg to two transloading facilities: one in Jackson, Mississippi and another in Tallulah, Louisiana. From those stations, the product would be loaded onto railcars and shipped to customers throughout the country. It was an ambitious, labor-intensive plan. “It takes three trucks to load one railcar,” said Steve. “On a typical day, we load about 30 lube oil trucks through the terminal. During this time, we were putting as many as 77 trucks through the terminal per day.”

“We created a separate dispatch for the transload operation,” said Clyde Kilgore, Dispatch Manager for Ergon Trucking, Inc., in Vicksburg. Seven or eight experienced Ergon Trucking drivers were dedicated to the task of bringing refined product to the bulk storage terminal locations night and day. “It was a challenge to get loads to the facilities on a timely basis. But drivers like challenges,” said Clyde. “They performed outstandingly.”

Ergon employees worked 12-hour shifts, 24-hours a day, seven days a week to make sure customers stayed in supply. “These guys are a blessing,” said Steve, “I don’t think a lot of companies could have pulled it off, but we did at Ergon. And we’re very proud of that.”