RIVER TRANSPORTATION

River Transportation Vital to Economy

The recent closure of the Mississippi River due to low releases of water flows from the Missouri River and drought conditions underscores the critical importance of river transportation infrastructure to the economy of the mid-west region and the nation. The Upper Mississippi River Basin and the Missouri River are essential to our nation's economy, as is the lock and dam system which makes the rivers navigable and provide major arteries for commerce in America's agricultural and industrial heartland. "More than 150 million tons of commerce valued at over $24 billion flows annually into, out of, and within the Upper Mississippi River Basin on America's Inland Navigation System. The building blocks of our nation such as grain, coal, petroleum and chemicals are dependent on these vital transportation arteries," said Barry Palmer, President & CEO of Waterways Work! More than 650 manufacturing facilities, terminals, power plants and docks located in the Upper Mississippi River Basin ship and receive tonnage on the river. 54 million tons of river transported grain commodities are exported to world markets. Over 27 million tons of coal are supplied on the river to more than 18 power plants providing electrical power generation to millions of residents and industrial facilities throughout the basin. The Port of Metropolitan St. Louis is the second largest inland port in the United States.

Boatracs Joins Port Security Test

Boatracs, the premier provider of wireless maritime information solutions, recently participated in a maritime security exercise co-sponsored by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Regional Maritime Security Coalition (RMSC), Oregon Emergency Management (OEM), and the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Conducted at the OEM Center in Salem, Oregon, in November 2003, the security exercise was designed to test maritime communication systems and track cargo movement along the

SCI Sells Water Street Facility, Stays in N.Y.

Yesterday, the Seamen’s Church Institute of New York & New Jersey (SCI) sold its 241 Water Street facility to the Blue Man Creativity Center School. At the same time, SCI commits itself to remain a New York-based institution, as it has been since its founding in 1834. Amid terms of sale, SCI retains its corporate offices at 241 Water Street. In addition to Water Street and Port Newark, SCI administers seafarer hospitality and education sites in Paducah, Ky

ARTCO Turns to Class NK's SMSLLC for TSMS Help

SMSLLC to help leading tug and barge operator to prepare for new Towing Safety Management Regulation. Safety Management Systems LLC announced on April 18, 2013 that it has won a contract from American River Transportation Company (ARTCO) to assist the company to establish a Towing Safety Management System (TSMS) in accordance with pending U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Subchapter M regulations. ARTCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), is one of the largest U.S

WCI Chairman Issues Statement

Rick Calhoun, President of Cargo Carriers (Cargill) and Chairman of Waterways Council, Inc., released a statement today regarding the state of emergency on the Lower Mississippi River. “The inland waterways navigation system is the most important transportation asset in the United States and is vital to the economic well-being of this country,” Calhoun said.  “We urgently call on the Federal government today to take all necessary steps to provide funding for this

Senate O.K.s U.S. Waterways Improvement Bill

The U.S. Senate passed legislation to improve transportation on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers for Midwestern farmers shipping bulk commodities. The legislation provided $2 million for the initial phase of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois waterway system navigation modernization project. The project will redesign and expand seven locks -- five on the Mississippi and two on the Illinois -- that currently delay shipments on the river because the locks are too small to handle

Backing for NEVA 2011 Gathers Pace

Support for NEVA 2011, the international maritime conference and exhibition taking place in St. Petersburg between September 20th and 23rd this year, has gathered momentum both within Russia and internationally in recent weeks. Rod Keay, managing director of Dolphin Exhibitions, the event organiser, says: “Support in Russia, and the CIS as well, has grown exponentially since the beginning of the year.” The event, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year

Review of Mississippi-Illinois Waterway Study

The National Academies released its Review of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Restructured Upper Mississippi River-Illinois Water Feasibility Study. The review concludes that the Corps has made good progress in broadening a study of possible navigation improvements on the waterway system to give greater consideration to ecological restoration. However, flaws in the new models used in the study to predict demand for barge transportation undermine the economic justification for expanding

Euroseas Expands Fleet to 13

Euroseas Ltd. an owner and operator of drybulk carriers, container ship and multipurpose vessels and provider of seaborne transportation for drybulk and containerized cargoes, announced that it has entered into memoranda of agreement to purchase the M/V Honor River and the M/V Beauty River, two Handysize container ships, each with a capacity of 33,667 dwt and 1,932 teu. The vessels are sister ships built in 1990 in South Korea and are similar in terms of capacity to the M/V Artemis

Field Hearing On Delaware Oil Spill

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure released a Schedule stating that the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation will conduct a field hearing in Philadelphia on January 18. The hearing will examine circumstances surrounding the recent oil spill in the Delaware River. (HK Law)