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 Army floating bridge helps Gulf of Mexico oil spill By Kris Osborn
                Army News Service
 WASHINGTON - The Louisiana National Guard has  deployed a 380-foot, boat-powered floating bridge to the Gulf of Mexico in an  effort to assist authorities working to contain the oil spill, service  officials said. The Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB) -- which was used by  U.S. forces to cross the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers during the 2003 invasion  of Iraq -- is designed to function as a bridge or floating water raft propelled  by boats. The IRB - from the 2225th Multi-Role Bridging Company  (MRBC), 205th Engineer battalion of Louisiana National Guard -- along with  numerous MKIIR Bridge Erection boats (BEBs) are now floating in the waters of  the Gulf of Mexico near the Louisiana coastline, in an effort to help contain  the oil. "The IRB is very mobile. In this case the bridge is  being used as a work platform carrying anything from cranes to oil booms. The  oil booms are intended to prevent oil from hitting the shoreline," said  David Marck, Product Manager for Bridging. The equipment is part of the Army's Project Manager for  Force Projection, Program Executive Office Combat Support and Combat Service  Support, a division of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for  Acquisition, Logistics and Technology. "Because of the relationship PM Bridging has built  and sustained with the Louisiana National Guard during the Hurricane Katrina  relief effort, they knew who to call," said Pat Plotkowski, Project  Manager for Force Projection. The floating raft -- which can hold up to 140 tons of  gear -- is propelled and maneuvered by BEBs positioned on either side. "These boats are designed to go in normal water and  this is the first time we have operated them in sea water as well as oil,"  said Don Paskulovich, Deputy Product Manager for Bridging. The oil will gum up some of the engine but not as badly  as some might think because the engine burns the oil as well as the fuel  itself. In order to keep the engines clean and free from oil  build-up, engineers are using a special chemical "flushing" technique  to clean oil out of the engine. "A cooling system sucks the water from underneath  the boat and uses it to cool the engine," said Marck. "This 'super' flush technique allows us to eliminate  the oil in the engine compartment," added Paskulovich. PM Bridging is responsible for engineering, producing,  fielding, logical support and modernization of the Army's Assault and Tactical  bridging product lines. During the current mission, PM Bridging continues to  provide equipment, spare parts and technical assistance to the 2225th MRBC. They will also continue to team with other Army  organizations, including the Tank Automotive Research, Development and  Engineering Center, and personnel to provide rapid and ongoing assistant for  oil spill relief efforts and equipment employment.
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