LAKES SHIPPING

Great Lakes Dredging hinges on Federal Legislation

House and Senate Bills Offer Hope for Lakes Dredging Crisis.   Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have taken up legislation that could end the dredging crisis on the Great Lakes.  H.R. 335 and S. 218 would require the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (“HMTF”) to spend what it takes in each year for dredging on dredging.  Currently, the HMTF spends only one of every two tax dollars it collects for dredging on dredging.  The surplus, now approaching $7 billion, is used to mask the size of the Federal deficit rather than maintain the nation’s ports and waterways.  As a result, 17 million cubic yards of sediment clog Lakes harbors and have the largest vessels losing more than 10,000 tons of cargo in just one trip. H.R. 335, the Realize America’s Maritime Promise (“RAMP”) Act, was introduced on January 22 and currently has 67 co-sponsors, 15 of whom are from the Great Lakes region.  S. 218, the Harbor Maintenance Act of 2013, was introduced on February 4.  The bill was authored by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) and has 28 co-sponsors, 10 of whom are from Great Lakes states.   “Congress must quickly pass these bills,” said Donald N. Cree, President of Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, the largest labor/management coalition ever to promote waterborne commerce on the nation’s Fourth Sea Coast.  “The largest U.S

Shipping Season Rewarded During National Transportation Week

During the 2006 Great Lakes shipping season, the Port of Detroit exceeded its 2005 international cargo tonnage volume by more than sixty percent. Because of the upswing in international cargo volume, the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority (DWCPA) and its stevedoring company, Nicholson Terminal & Dock Company, will receive the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation's Robert Lewis Port Pacesetter Award. SLSDC

Great Lakes States to Address Ballast Water Issue

Attorney General Jennifer M. Granholm has joined Attorneys General from around the Great Lakes states in filing a brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that asks the Court to order the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address the problem of aquatic nuisance species in the ballast water of Great Lakes ships. In a "friend of the court" brief filed jointly with the states of New York, Minnesota, and Illinois

LCA's Ryan Retires

George J. Ryan will end his 20-plus year career as President of Lake Carriers' Association on January 15. Ryan will retire as one of the longest serving President's in the Association's 123-year history. James H. I. Weakley will succeed him. "George's contributions to the U.S.-Flag Great Lakes fleet are immeasurable," said James R. Barker, Chairman of The Interlake Steamship Company, one of the largest U.S.-Flag operators on the Lakes

USCG Icebreakers to Sport Finnish Technology

The new icebreakers for the U.S. Coast Guard being built at Marinette Marine Corp. will feature some of the world's most advanced icebreaking features, complements of Finland. Marinette Marine, a division of Manitowac Marine Group, has contracted with a pair of Kvaerner Masa-Yards Group Companies — Kvaerner Masa Marine (KMM) and Masa-Yards Arctic Technology Center (MARC) — to provide ice breaking consulting services and model testing for the new USCG Great Lakes Icebreaker Mackinaw

Kvaerner Masa-Yards Receives Contract

Kvaerner Masa Marine (KMM) and Masa-Yards Arctic Technology Center (MARC), both part of the Kvaerner Masa-Yards Group, were recently awarded a contract to provide ice breaking consulting services and model testing for the USCG Great Lakes Icebreaker currently being designed by Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC) a division of Manitowoc Marine Group. The new icebreaker will be named Mackinaw in honor of the heavy icebreaker that it is replacing. The new Mackinaw will be a

January Lakes Coal Trade Cut in Half

The stumbling economy took its toll on the Great Lakes coal trade in January. Shipments totaled only 778,971 net tons, just half the volume of a year ago, and certainly one of the slowest Januarys in recent memory. With the Lakes now largely closed by winter, the low January coal total could come back to haunt the nation if power plants find themselves short of coal. A recently-released study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found that Great Lakes shipping annually saves its customers $3

Great Lakes Maritime Task Force Report

Thanks to a significant increase in funding for dredging on the Great Lakes in FY08, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was finally able to start reducing the backlog of sediment that is clogging the Great Lakes Navigation System announced Great Lakes Maritime Task Force in its 2008 Annual Report released March 20. “Congress really stepped up to the plate and gave the Corps nearly $140m to dredge Great Lakes ports and waterways in FY08

Employment Peaking at Great Lakes Shipyards

When the 1,000-ft-long Great Lakes freighter Edwin H. Gott arrived at Bay Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, it marked the beginning of the busiest time of year for Great Lakes shipyards.  This project and other annual winter maintenance work on U.S.-flag Great Lakes ships will provide jobs for more than 1,200 men and women at U.S. shipyards around the Great Lakes. The Gott, one of the largest U.S

Christening of MV Hon. James L. Oberstar

On Tuesday, May 24, 2011, the Interlake Steamship Company vessel M/V Hon. James L. Oberstar will be christened at Duluth, Minn. Mr. Oberstar and his wife Jean, the Sponsor of the ship, will be on hand for the christening. Due to Homeland Security regulations, only invited guests will be allowed access to the vessel for tours beginning at 9 am, followed by a press conference at 9:30 am and the christening ceremony at 10:30 am.