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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
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Inland Waterway News

13 Mar 2024

MARAD Announces $500 Million in Funding for Port Infrastructure

© trekandphoto / Adobe Stock

As a part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for $500 million in Federal Fiscal Year 2024 funding through MARAD’s Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).Investments made under the PIDP focus on modernizing the Nation’s coastal and inland waterway ports as well as strengthening its supply chains and economic security for generations to come.

29 Feb 2024

Germany Opens Remote-Controlled Center for Inland Shipping

© SEAFAR

SEAFAR, a Belgian technology and service provider for remote-controlled inland waterway shipping operations, has set up the first Remote Operations Center in Germany; a project completed in conjunction with HGK Shipping and Reederei Deymann.The Remote Operations Center, opened on February 28, 2024, enables captains to navigate vessels on inland waterways from dry land, a development seen as central to stemming problems from the shortage of specialist workers. The partners are working with the public authorities to use the permits…

29 Jan 2024

Crounse Takes Delivery of New Towboat from Conrad

(Photo: Crounse Corporation)

Paducah, Ky. headquartered Crounse Corporation announced it has taken delivery of a new 6,034-horsepower towboat built by Conrad Shipyard, based in Morgan City, La.The 166- by 48- by 12-foot Alice is named after the company’s first vessel that began operating in 1949. Delivered with a U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection for Subchapter M compliance and two EPA Tier 4 compliant main engines, the newbuild is one of the most efficient and environmentally-friendly vesselsoperating on the United States' inland waterway system.Alice and powered by two General Electric (GE) diesel engines…

20 Dec 2023

$73.77 Million Grant a Boost for Port NOLA & Inland Waterway Shipping

(Image: Port NOLA)

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) will receive $73.77 million from the federal government to assist in building the Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) project, which will provide a gateway for cargo movement on U.S. inland waterways including the Mississippi River.The U.S. Department of Transportation has alerted Congress that it intends to award this funding through its MEGA Grant Program, which will support the first phase of the overall $1.8 billion project’s construction and is in addition to significant funding commitments from private industry partners and Port NOLA.

05 Dec 2023

Management Change at German Dry Bulk Shipper

(from left to right) Pascal Rodius, Monique Hezel-Reyntjens, Florian Bleikamp.
Copyright: HGK Shipping GmbH

Monique Hezel-Reyntjens will retire effective December 31, 2023, having worked in and led what is now known as BeKa HGK GmbH for almost 42 years. Her parents, Franz Josef and Corrie Becker founded the dry shipping company in 1982. Monique Hezel-Reyntjenshas played a significant role in the success story at BeKa HGK; she worked in the chartering section from the outset and in the course of time became a shareholder and has been its managing director up to now. She will be succeeded by Florian Bleikamp (34)…

02 Nov 2023

Rhenus Upgrades Engines on Two Pushboats

(Photo: Rhenus Group)

The Rhenus Group announced it has upgraded two canal push boats operated by Deutsche Binnenreederei (DBR) with new stage V engines.While the new construction of more sustainable hydrogen-powered vessels is a long-term project, the Rhenus Group is retrofitting its older vessels with modern and therefore more environmentally-friendly technology in the short term. The two canal push boats, RSPSB146 and RSPSB153, which were built in 1978 and 1979 respectively, are the first to undergo this process.It has taken about ten months to convert the two vessels.

02 Oct 2023

Jan De Nul Orders Offshore Cable Layer with Record-Breaking Capacity

Fleeming Jenkin - Copyright: Jan De Nul Group

Offshore installation services company Jan De Nul has ordered an extra-large cable-laying ship with an "unrivaled" cable-carrying capacity from China's CMHI Haimen shipyard.The vessel, to be named Fleeming Jenkin, will have a cable-carrying capacity of 28,000 tons, and will serve the renewable energy and subsea cable industry in installing cables over longer distances and in deeper waters. The vessel will be delivered in 2026. "Offshore wind farms go deeper and further offshore, and the interconnectivity between countries and regions become essential for the economy and energy security.

25 Sep 2023

USACE Working to Prevent Saltwater from Rising Up the Mississippi

Col. Cullen Jones, USACE New Orleans District commander, briefs media Sept. 15, 2023, on current steps the Corps plans to take to augment the existing underwater sill constructed by USACE in the Mississippi River to help slow progression of the saltwater wedge moving upriver from the Gulf of Mexico. (Photo: Ryan Labadens / U.S. Army)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District is working to delay upriver progression of salt water from the Gulf of Mexico by augmenting the sill initially constructed in July 2023.Construction is underway to increase the existing underwater sill from a depth of -55 feet to a depth of -30 feet. A 620-foot-wide navigation lane will be kept to a depth of -55 feet to ensure deep-draft shipping continues along the nation’s busiest inland waterway.USACE initially constructed…

16 Oct 2023

Future Fuels: Methanol

(Image: Glosten)

Any commentator on the maritime business decarbonization voyage will offer something along the lines of "There will be multiple fuels…" With the International Maritime Organization (IMO) meetings of its Maritime Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) set for early July, it is likely that targets for emissions will be tightened. Whatever mileposts that the IMO actually establishes, there will be no prescriptions handed down on how to get there. By mid-2023, nearly two years after the late 2021 alternative fuels crescendo in the aftermath of the COP26 meetings in Glasgow…

10 Jul 2023

Thordon Optimizes Workboat Rudder with New Bearing Combo

ThorPlas-Blue bearings installed in an articulating rudder with Thorseals in-situ - Credit: Thordon Bearings

When a 9,280hp workboat returned to service following extensive repairs at the James Marine Paducah River Service yard in Kentucky, U.S.A., it marked the first application of Thordon’s new seal-embedded bearing to an articulating rudder, Thordon Bearings said Monday. Articulating rudders are unlike conventional rudders and can be more costly to repair when things go wrong. They are more susceptible to wear and tear, due to the higher operating pressures and abrasives, and as a result…

19 Jun 2023

Dredging: Keeping the Mississippi Open

(Photo: USACE)

“Not only does the top of the river move, but the bottom of the river also moves.” - James Bodron, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division, Regional Business Director.Dredging was the Herculean act that allowed much of the U.S. economy to keep chugging along as usual, at least for Midwest and Central states, as drought conditions threatened to shut down river traffic on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, during fall and winter 2022 and early 2023.The full scope of these U.S.

09 Jun 2023

First Zero-emission Electric Pusher Tug & Barge Enters Service for Cargill

(Photo: Kotug)

Cargill will charter the world’s first fully electric pusher boat and barges to transport cocoa beans in the Netherlands.The company will use Kotug International’s zero emission E-Pusher and E-Barges to transport cocoa beans from the Port of Amsterdam, the largest cocoa import port in the world, to its cocoa factory in Zaandam. The fully electrified pusher and barges eliminate both emissions and noise pollution for inland shipping.The E-Pusher 1 was christened this week, marking the official start of the operations with the vessel for Cargill…

08 Jun 2023

America's Sea Services Building Large Fleet of Small Ships and Craft

U.S. Navy Sailors aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD-48), moor a landing craft, utility during amphibious operations, off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, in March 2023. (Photo: Christopher R. Lape / U.S. Marine Corps)

Not every vessel in the U.S. Navy is built for major combat operations on the high seas. There are large numbers of boats and service craft that provide essential services to the sea services, the nation and its partners.The U.S. Navy procures about 100 small boats per year. Some of these boats are based on commercial designs, procured to a Navy developed specification that tailors the requirements to the end user needs. They are procured and managed by two Naval Sea Systems Command program offices—PMS 300 and PMS 325.Compared to warships and auxiliaries…

02 Jun 2023

Barge Completes Autonomous Navigation Test in Busy Belgian Waterways

Credit: Martin Giskegjerde

Kongsberg Maritime said Friday it had completed a live trial of autonomous shipping technology in Bornem, Belgium, demonstrating the company's progress in fully autonomous systems.The test vessel, Zulu 4, an inland waterway barge owned by Blue Line Logistics NV, is equipped for remote-operated and autonomous transport demonstrations for the AUTOSHIP project, which is part of Horizon 2020, an EU research program.As part of the test, Zulu 4 maneuvered and navigated on unrestricted waterways, and it demonstrated berthing and unberthing capability.

18 Oct 2023

Insights: Mike Ellis, CEO, American Commercial Barge Line

Mike Ellis, ACBL’s CEO since August 2020, was previously executive VP and marine group leader at Savage Services Corporation. Prior to that, he was president, board member and part owner of Settoon Towing, following time in leadership positions with Bollinger Shipyards, including EVP/CFO and EVP/COO. Ellis has a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from LSU and currently serves on the board of directors for the American Waterways Operators. (Photo: ACBL)

There is no shortage of challenges confronting the U.S. barging industry, and executives such as Mike Ellis, CEO at American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL), are leading their companies past hurdle after hurdle. The Jeffersonville, Ind.-based company, which owns a fleet of approximately 150 towboats and moves a fleet of some 4,500 barges (including roughly 3,500 operated by ACBL), is focusing on factors it can control while planning and investing for the future.The weatherMother Nature is often unkind to the barging industry.

26 May 2023

Cargo Vessel Completes Complex Autonomous Journey Off Coast of Norway

Eidsvaag Pioner vessel  ©Martin Giskegjerde via Kongsberg Maritime

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime said Friday it had successfully demonstrated a range of remote and autonomous technologies on a cargo vessel operating off the coast of Norway.The test cruise has been named one of the most complex autonomous journeys at sea so far, Kongsberg Maritime said.The Eidsvaag Pioner is one of the two vessels that are equipped for remote-operated and autonomous transport demonstrations for the AUTOSHIP project, which is part of Horizon 2020, an EU research program.Owned by the Eidsvaag shipping company…

23 May 2023

Port of London Launches Fully-electric Survey Vessel

(Photo: Port of London Authority)

In a first for UK ports, the Port of London Authority (PLA) and University College of London (UCL) have launched a fully electric, remotely operated survey vessel.It will support a MSc Hydrographic Surveying course they have run in partnership since 1999.The state-of-the-art platform, manufactured by Maritime Robotics, was acquired by the partners, following a successful bid and award of an £263,000 grant from the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).The vessel features the most advanced sonar and scanning system from technology manufacturer NORBIT, called a WINGHEAD.

05 May 2023

HGK Shipping and Hydrogenious to Design Inland Waterway Vessel with Hydrogen Carrier Tech

Photo: (from left to right) Dr Daniel Teichmann, the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Hydrogenious LOHC Maritime and the CEO and founder of Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies, and Steffen Bauer, CEO at HGK Shipping, sign a Memorandum of Understanding (Copyright: HGK Shipping / Hydrogenious LOHC)

Germany-based inland waterway shipping firm HGK Shipping has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hydrogenious LOHC Maritime and Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies to work on developing a scalable solution to make hydrogen available as a source of energy on a large scale. The technology is based on hydrogen, which is bound in a liquid carrier (LOHC, liquid organic hydrogen carrier). The partners are planning to develop a demonstration vessel by 2028 and then put it into service…

01 May 2023

Texas A&M Takes Over MMA Training Ship

Source: Texas A&M

Texas A&M University at Galveston has taken over a new training ship, the TS Kennedy.The 540-foot vessel will enhance year-round training for Texas A&M Maritime Academy cadets in ship navigation and marine engineering systems, maintenance, safety and security.State maritime academy training ships are federally owned vessels operated by the six state maritime academies to serve cadet-training purposes. Successful legislative efforts in Washington, D.C. secured the transfer of the TS Kennedy from Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) this year and a new National Security Multi-Mission Vessel…

25 Apr 2023

HGK Shipping and Port of Rotterdam Partner on Sustainable Inland Waterways Shipping

Matthijs van Doorn, Vice-President Commercial Port of Rotterdam (on the left) und Steffen Bauer, CEO HGK Shipping (Photo: Port of Rotterdam)

HGK Shipping and the Port of Rotterdam signed a long-term cooperation agreement to promote sustainable concepts for inland waterway services leading to and from seaports. The document primarily focuses on the energy revolution and logistics for hydrogen as well as reducing CO2 emissions by using innovative drive concepts and digitalization. These topics are crucially important to ensure reliable and sustainable supplies for industry. The agreement therefore ensures that stable…

18 Oct 2023

Insights: Robert Schluter, e1 Marine

Robert Schluter, managing director, e1 Marine (Image: e1 Marine)

Robert Schluter served as an officer as part of the marine engineering team on board the U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Mahan DDG-42 out of Charleston before transitioning to the business world and “general, corporate type work”. Today he serves as managing director at the third startup he’s helped build, e1 Marine.The company, a joint venture between Louisiana-based marine equipment lessor Maritime Partners, Irish tanker owner Ardmore Shipping and Schluter’s second startup…

13 Mar 2023

Dredge Firms Focus on Sustainability as ESG Issues Climb Agenda

Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger - Vox Apolonia. Image courtesy Van Oord

Climate change, rising sea levels, land reclamation and offshore energy are all factors underpinning business models at Europe’s dredge and marine engineering majors. They are adopting strong sustainability credentials as their operations come under closer environmental, social, governance (ESG) scrutiny and new opportunities open up in the US offshore wind sectorThe relatively small number of global marine engineering and dredge firms face more observation of their business models than ever before.

08 Mar 2023

Campbell Promotes Statler to Senior VP of River Operations

(Photo: Campbell Transportation Company)

Houston, Pa.-based marine transportation and services business Campbell Transportation Company, Inc. (CTC) announced it has promoted Gary Statler to senior vice president of river operations, effective March 1, 2023.Statler joined Campbell in October of 2014 and served as vice president of administration from February of 2021.Campbell's president, Kyle Buese, said Statler's promotion is in line with the company's long-term succession plan, and part of an organizational strategy to increase division leadership as the company grows.Campbell…

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