Average Most Probable Discharge or AMPD
is a service A2Z provides to shipping companies. A tanker
or barge will come into the Patapsco River, headed to Baltimore,
but the draft of the vessel is too deep for the harbor. The
vessel needs lightering or to lighten the load to raise the
draft shallow enough to allow access to the destination desired.
As a precaution, coverage is provided
to tankers and barges while lightering. A2Z will go out to
meet the tanker, having 2000 feet of boom, floatable, towable,
bladders, skimmers and a pump to pump the spilled product to
the bladders available for delivery within one hour. A2Z will
remain on site until lightering is complete. This can take
from 12 hours to as much as 36 hours to complete.
A phone call will activate a four man
crew. They will meet at a launch ramp close to the anchorage
area. The crew will launch A2Z's 26 foot boat, have 2000
foot of boom, skimmers , floatable, towable bladders on hand
and make their way to the lightering. They will remain on site
until the lightering is complete. Then they return to the launch
ramp, reload the boat, store all supplies and return to the
yard. If a spill had occurred, they were ready to handle the
situation.
