The following information was obtained from the State of
New Jersey via email:
Event date and time: April 12, 2014 (time was not included in initial report)
Event location: aboard dredge vessel M/V Glenn Edwards working in NJ waters near Long Branch, NJ
Event type: Fixed gauges with stuck shutter
Notifications: RSO notified NJDEP [New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection] staff in person on 4/14/2014 at approximately 0900 [EDT] during an inspection.
Event Description: The M/V Glenn Edwards has three fixed gauges used to measure slurry density of dredged materials; one on the starboard arm, one on the port arm, and one on the bow of the dredge. The licensee reported that a survey and inspection of the gauges on 4/12/2014 revealed that two of the three gauges have shutter handles which are not functioning to move the internal shutter cylinder. The bow device (Berthold LB 7444-D-CR containing 100 mCi Co-60 at installation) appears to be stuck in the closed position. The starboard device (Berthold LB 7444-CR containing 500 mCi Co-60 at installation) appears to be stuck in the open position. The beam is oriented out to sea, away from any occupied space. The licensee reports that there is no exposure hazard to licensee personnel, crew or other members of the public. The licensee is contacting the device manufacturer to arrange for repair/disposal and has committed that a service provider would be contracted to perform the work.
The event is reportable to NJDEP under N.J.A.C. [New Jersey Administrative Code] 7:28-51.1 (adoption of 10 CFR 30.50(b)(2)).
NJDEP will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as necessary. A notification was also made to the Florida Bureau of Radiation Control.
The operator of the dredge vessel is a licensee of Florida (Florida License #4019-1) working under reciprocity in the State of New Jersey.
New Jersey Incident Number: 512693