Dickie Daigle had an idea.

It had been bouncing around in his head for almost 10 years, and 3:30 a.m. was when it finally came to life. After telling his wife what he was up to, Daigle began to draw out his plans.

What came of that early morning brainstorm was the SlingBag, a product designed to solve problems regarding the use of burlap bags to stabilize and protect underwater pipelines vital to the oil and gas industry.

The SlingBag is comprised of two woven polypropylene fabric mats that are arranged in an overlapping, perpendicular cross section, forming a T-shaped mat. When the side panels are folded up around the fill material, a four-sided container is created. Lifting loops are attached to the SlingBag to allow the product to be moved.

“It was more a safety issue that really got me into it,” the Thibodaux resident said. "But then you also had to make it where it’s not just safe but it’s at a price that the oil companies or Departments of Transportation can switch to it and utilize it.”

Burlap bags are the most common method used to stabilize and protect underwater pipelines. Bags filled with sand or sand and cement mixture are commonly placed on pallets. The pallets would be lowered underwater and a diver would unhook one cable. The crane lifts the sling, thereby dumping the burlap bags off of the pallet for the divers to place into position.

This method often left wooden pallet pieces scattered in the ocean and exposes divers to nails and debris. This method also lacks a degree of control, which further heightens safety concerns for the divers, according to Daigle’s patent for the SlingBag.

Daigle said the SlingBag is five times faster and safer than the conventional bag placement methods.

“I was in Houston, a meeting with Chevron, Exxon and some others,” Daigle said. “When I brought up the idea, I mentioned it’s five times faster than what you’re normally doing for these pipeline jobs. It was almost like they all got up and left.  When I mentioned it was five times safer, they needed to listen. That’s when it took off. “

Daigle said he decided to sell the patent to Quikrete, a manufacturer of packaged concrete and cement mixes based out of Atlanta, Georgia.

“There were four companies bidding on it,” Daigle said. “Quikrete, being as big as they are, I knew I’d be able to spread it out in North America. I’ve done quite a bit with the largest oil company in Canada. I’m doing work for them also in Alaska. In just about every state, I have done some type of work like this.”

The latest success story for SlingBag product involved stabilizing a 300-foot long seawater intake pipeline for a luxury resort on the south shore of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to a Quikrete news release.

In 2012, Tropical Storm Isaac moved the pipeline, causing damage to surrounding coral. Three different attempts were made to stabilize the pipeline, including placing weights anchored by Kevlar lines and metal cables on top of the pipeline, but none were successful.

Daigle said it took seven months to get the required permits to attempt to stabilize the pipeline using the SlingBag method. The Office of Coastal Management, U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service all had to approve the project.

“In more than 40 years in this industry, I consider the St. Thomas project a real high point,” Daigle said. “Securing the five required permits was a challenging seven-month process, but critical due to the environmental considerations involving the coral reef in the project area.”

In May, Logan Diving & Salvage placed more than 9,400 60-pound rip rap burlap bags containing a sand and cement mixture delivered in nearly 170 SlingBags to successfully stabilize the pipeline.

“In my experience, the SlingBag system is by far the best, fastest, safest and cleanest method for addressing underwater pipeline requirements,” Scott C. Anderson, president of Logan Diving & Salvage, said in a news release. “It consistently delivers consolidated, uniform and easy to handle materials for all of our pipeline underwater stabilization, immobilization and protection needs.”

Daigle said the response from Logan Diving & Salvage is typical of the response he’s gotten from companies using the SlingBag product, and the design and method patents he holds for the SlingBag are the most successful he holds.

“They don’t want any other type of method but the SlingBag. It’s the simplest of all four, but it’s the one that’s gone crazy all over America.”