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Shallow Nation

July 1st, 2009 at 3:14 pm

National Geographic: World’s Toughest Fixes Mississippi River Barge (Video, Photos)

National Geographic World's Toughest Fixes Mississippi River Barge

Here are National Geographic: World’s Toughest Fixes Mississippi River Barge video and photos. The program airs on July 2, 2009 at 9 p.m. PT/ET on National Geographic channel.

Episode 5 of World’s Toughest Fixes; Mississippi River Barge . Also known coyly, as WTF the program reveals the various challenging assignments program host, professional rigger Sean Riley takes on, which bring him to locales and circumstances worldwide as he assists mechanics and engineers.

This week finds host Sean Riley at the Mississippi River where Hurricane Gustav in August 2008 blew a 300-ton barge into the water; it had been in a nearby salvage yard by. The hurricane winds rammed the barge rammed into a protective levee that now now caught underneath. Using inflatable bags and wooden cribbing, the Sean Riley and the team raises the barge; the challenge is that the higher the barge is raised, the more unstable it becomes. And as the National Geographic: World’s Toughest Fixes Mississippi River Barge video reveals, in one case, the barge actually begins to slip leaving Riley, the workers and camera crew no choice but to all race out from underneath to keep from being crushed, in a dramatic moment.

Sean Riley

Rosedale, Mississippi: Sean Riley explores the Mississippi River Mud that keeps commercial trade from flowing. Behind him, the Dredge Hurley machine keeps barges moving corn and oil from Minneapolis to New Orleans. (Photo Credit © Marissa Watson / NGT&F)

Host Sean Riley (photo above) continues to reveal a down to earth and witty approach to solving complex technological problems making WTF a popular on National Geographic channel.

Top Photo: Host Sean Riley helps the crew of The Dredge Hurley, which plays a different role in keeping the Mississippi River clear by dredging. Over time, sediment drifts from the banks of the river and collects in the middle, creating roadblocks for barges. The Dredge Hurley sucks up unwanted mud and shoots it out toward the bank through a thousand foot long pipe. (Photo Credit © Marissa Watson / NGT&F)

Check out some National Geographic: World’s Toughest Fixes Mississippi River Barge video below.

For more background information on the program, see Sean Riley’s blog: The Right Tool For The Job

World’s Toughest Fixes host, Sean Riley, is a designer and sculptor. He is founder and principal rigging designer of San Francisco based company Gravity Design Inc., delivering innovative rigging and force management solutions for large-scale industry clients internationally; clients range circus acts to industrial installations such as wind turbines, underwater welding or commercial solar energy fields.

Video “Mississippi River Barge: Behind-the-Scenes” –Riley and the crew take on the mighty — and mighty muddy — Mississippi River.. Video Link

Photos and video courtesy of National Geographic Channel