We're cranking up the assessment phase."
The co-owner of a company charged with moving Allen Casey’s rundown barge away from downtown Chattanooga’s waterfront said Tuesday he has dealt with vessels “far worse than this.”
“I’ve developed a love for problem-solving on the waters,” said William Ladnier, with Gulfstream Enterprises of Biloxi, Miss. He said he didn’t know how long it might take to remove the barge, but said “it’s ASAP.”
On Tuesday, after more than a week’s worth of work, the half-sunken barge was lifted off the bottom of the Tennessee River with the use of powerful pumps to drain water from inside the vessel.
Ladnier said his company plans to work with Chattanoogan Harry Phillips, who coordinated the refloating effort, to determine the condition of the barge.