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Erie Canal News

19 Oct 2023

New York State Canal Corporation Donates Retired Workboat

(Photo courtesy City of Amsterdam)

New York State Canal Corporation has donated one of its retired workboats to be displayed as part of a new educational exhibit set to open in Amsterdam, N.Y. in spring 2024.The vessel, Tender 4, was built in 1926 by American Boiler Works in Erie, Pa., and went on to serve nearly a century for the Canal Corporation, a New York State public-benefit corporation responsible for the oversight, administration and maintenance of the state's canal system.One of nine tenders built for the Canal Corporation in the 1920s…

25 Oct 2022

USACE Christened New Derrickboat Kolber

(Photo: Andre' M. Hampton / USACE)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, on Monday held a christening ceremony for the Derrickboat Kolber. This new derrickboat is 160 feet long, has a beam of 60 feet and a depth of 12 feet. The large crane is a SeaTrax series 60 Model S9302. Its design and construction were contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Marine Design Center. The barge was designed by TAI Engineers of New Orleans, and constructed by Metal Trades, Inc., of Hollywood, S.C.The Kolber’s…

02 Dec 2019

REGULATORY REVIEW: Subchapter M

Image Credit: (Captain) Pat Folan

One Year In: Industry SME (Captain) Pat Folan weighs in from the front lines.It has been an interesting year for towing industry. As the new Subchapter M towboat rule rolled out, it didn’t take long to discover that the regulation wasn’t perfect. As stakeholders look ahead to what comes next, it is also helpful to take a look back at what went right, what didn’t, and more importantly – why.The U.S. Coast GuardThe US Coast Guard does not have the manpower to add more than 5,000 vessels to its workload.

22 Aug 2019

Waterford’s Tugboat Roundup Celebrates 20 Years

A modest event designed as a get-together for commercial workboat operators in upstate New York is now celebrating 20 years as a three-day community festival.On September 11, 1999, local resident John Callaghan had an idea to bring in some friends who ran tugs on the Hudson River and NYS Canal System for a quick one-day get together, right at the entrance to the famed Erie Canal. Callaghan, then a tug captain himself for the state canal system, brought in seven tugs and cooked several dozen hot dogs.

18 Jun 2019

Exceptional (Market) Reach Lifts a Crane Retrofit to Success

The New York State Canal System, Advance Marine and MelCal Cranes all enjoy a reputation for versatile applications in challenging conditions. It’s no wonder that their recent deal to replace an aging maintenance crane was also a similarly good fit.When Advance Marine recently delivered a telescopic boom crane to New York State Canals, the decision regarding which type and brand of crane to select wasn’t made in a vacuum, nor was it made lightly. That’s because commercial utilization of America’s original superhighway – the Erie Canal – is on the rise again. The New York State Canal System is a 524-mile long, commercially viable waterway connecting the Hudson River with the Great Lakes, Finger Lakes, and Lake Champlain.

15 Mar 2019

Sub M is here, now what?

Captain Pat Folan outlines the way forward, especially for the smaller towboat firms. It’s not rocket science, but it does involve common sense. July 20, 2018 came and went, and we are all still here – mostly. The reality of Sub M has begun to sink in and for some it signals the end of a business and career. The AWO RCP members, oil movers and early adopters are going to make it. But for some of the ‘Mom & Pops,’ this is looking like a bridge too far.And some of this group are the ones that needed to be weeded out.

16 May 2018

#BTC100 History

Photo Courtesy of Bouchard Transportation Co.

In the late 1960s, Bouchard Transportation Co. wins two very important barge contracts; the first comprises the B. No. 40 and B. No 30 barges to haul jet fuel along the Erie Canal for the U.S. Air Force; the second  was for the company’s B. No. 55 barge to move crude oils in New York Harbor, Long Island Sound, New England, and also South to Philadelphia and Norfolk. The July 2018 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News will feature a special “Bouchard Transportation Co. Celebrates 100 Years” magazine. For more information contact: Greg Trauthwein, [email protected], t.

22 Mar 2018

Insights: Pat Folan, Tug & Barge Solutions

Pat Folan, Partner, Tug & Barge Solutions

Pat Folan, a partner at Tug & Barge Solutions, weighs in on all things tugboat â€“ with a focus on Subchapter M. Pat Folan is a partner in Daphne, Ala.-based Tug & Barge Solutions, a company that focuses on Subchapter M compliance for towing companies. The company also performs surveys of towing vessels and barges, manages safety management systems for towing companies and trains people on towing vessels and in offices. A professional mariner, he has operated towing vessels from Maine to Corpus Christi, Texas, including the Alabama Rivers, Lower Mississippi, Great Lakes and Erie Canal.

28 Nov 2017

Leadership and Subchapter M

(Photo: Pat Folan)

Earlier this year I was part of a safety meeting with several marine towing companies and the topic turned to leadership on our towing vessels. Companies are coming to the realization that many of their captains are not masters of the vessels. For years, the industry has taken control of the vessels from the captains and kept it in the office. I used to hear this lament from captains that I worked with in the nineties, “They don’t pay us to think.” And although the words have changed, the same old lament is there.

20 Apr 2017

Pat Folan Weighs in on All Things 'Tugboat'

Photo: Pat Folan

Pat Folan is a partner in Daphne, Ala.-based Tug & Barge Solutions, a safety and compliance company that focuses on Subchapter M compliance for towing companies. The company also performs surveys of towing vessels and barges, manages safety management systems for towing companies and trains people on towing vessels and in offices. A professional mariner, for 27 years, he also operated towing vessels from Maine to Corpus Christi, Texas, including the Alabama Rivers, Lower Mississippi, Great Lakes and Erie Canal. A graduate of St.

29 Oct 2015

Solar-electric Workboat Completes Maiden Cargo Run

Photo: Torqeedo

Harnessing solar propulsion, the 39-foot vessel Solar Sal has recently completed the final leg of its maiden cargo run, carrying recycled cardboard along the Erie Canal without using a single drop of fossil fuel. Solar Sal traversed 72 locks and traveled a total of 650 miles across the state of New York, delivering four tons of cargo from Lockport to a paper mill in Mechanicville on its history-making journey. The vessel runs 8.3 mph on twin Torqeedo Cruise 4.0 electric motors.

24 Sep 2014

The No-Emissions Workboat (Really!)

There’s no debate about LNG in New York. ELCO, New York State Canals team up to retrofit 86-year old tugboat with an electric motor. In June, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the launch of an all-electric dredge tender work boat on the Erie Canal in the Utica area of New York. The project, a partnership with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), utilized an electric motor supplied and installed by Elco Motor Yachts, LLC, of Athens, New York. Significantly, the New York State Canal Corporation collaborated with Yorkville-based New West Technologies, LLC, in order to determine how best to transition the State’s work boat fleet to a cleaner propulsion system.

23 Sep 2014

Insights: New York Canal Director Brian Stratton

Brian U. Stratton was appointed Director of the New York State Canal Corporation in April 2011, to oversee the operation and development of New York’s 524-mile Canal System, including the historic Erie Canal. The canal system, a historic system of waterways that dates back almost 200 years, was begun in 1817. Opened in its entirety in 1825, the Erie Canal is widely considered the engineering marvel of the 19th Century. But the canal system spans much more than the Erie Canal. It’s potential as an inland marine highway is undeniable.

19 Jun 2014

NY Announces Zero-emissions Retrofit Project

Photo: Elco Motor Yachts

New York’s Governor Cuomo announces retrofitted electric canal boat to demonstrate benefits of no-emission engine; NYSERDA, NYSDOT partnership with Canal Corp. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the launch of an all-electric dredge tender workboat on the Erie Canal in the Utica area. The project is the result of a partnership with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). Additionally…

10 Apr 2014

America’s First Marine Highway Comes Back to Life

The New York State Canal System, once forgotten as a commercial shipping option, is on the rise again, after years of decline. The shorter, greener and smarter route(s) make increasingly good sense for high value cargoes. Commercial utilization of America’s original superhighway – the Erie Canal – is on the rise again in recent years after years of decline. The third generation of the famed Erie Canal – the “Barge Canal” was constructed between 1905 and 1918. Designed to accommodate up to 10 million tons of cargo per year, the modern Erie Canal peaked at just over 5 million tons in 1951. Then, and with growing competition from railroads and highways, and the opening of the St.

23 May 2012

Cruise Ship Returns to Erie Canal

Brian U. Stratton, director of the New York State Canal Corporation.

Grande Mariner was Stranded on Canal System During 2011 Flooding. The M/V Grande Mariner, a 96-passenger cruise ship that was stranded for more than two months because of flooding in 2011, today returned to the Erie Canal for a new season of cruising America's most storied waterway. The ship, and a sister-ship, M/V Niagara Princes, both owned by Blount Small Ship Adventures in Warren, R.I., was among a handful of ships stranded on the New York State Canal system because of destructive high waters in August and September brought on by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

01 Jan 2012

Top Canal Crews Lock Up Honors

Canal Corporation Director Brian U. Stratton

Peak Performance Continues. In recognition of superior performance, the New York State Canal Corporation today announced top honors for the operators of canal facilities that provide outstanding service to patrons. Among the Canal honorees are: Best Lock, Lock 4 at Waterloo on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal; Best Section, Fort Edward on the Champlain Canal; and Best Tugboat, Tug Roosevelt, based in Utica on the Erie Canal. The winners were graded during an annual inspection of the 524-mile-long Canal system in the Fall. The inspection tour was led by Canal Corporation Director Brian U.

17 Nov 2011

NY Canals to Temporarily Reopen

Canal Director Brian Stratton

Open from Oswego to Waterford to Allow Stranded Boats to Reach Destinations. Sections of the Erie Canal and the Oswego Canal will temporarily reopen for a two-week period that begins Sunday, November 20, the New York State Canal Corporation announced. The eastern portion of the Erie Canal has been closed to navigation in the Mohawk Valley since major flooding in late August damaged several canal structures. To allow transient marine traffic to reach their destinations this season, portions of the canal system will reopen from November 20 through December 3.

19 Apr 2011

200 Years of Erie Canal History

April 2011 marks the 200th anniversary of the key decisions for the construction of the Erie Canal, a monumental public works project that transformed the economy of New York State. Two centuries ago, on April 8, 1811, the state Legislature approved a measure that set into motion the construction of the Erie Canal. This followed the delivery of a report on March 2, 2011 of a report by the original Commission. Brian U. Stratton, Director of the New York State Canal Corporation, "Two hundred years ago, visionary New Yorkers set forth a plan which would revolutionize communication and transportation throughout a young nation, lead to unprecedented prosperity and growth, and forever establish New York the Empire State.

27 May 2011

Steam Yacht Makes First Erie Canal Voyage

The steam yacht Cangarda this week began her inaugural trip on the Erie Canal, the New York State Canal Corporation announced on May 26. The 126-ft long vessel, built in, 1901, is the last remaining U.S.-built steam yacht in America, and one of only three left in the world. "We are pleased that this storied vessel will ply the waters of the Erie Canal this year," Canal Director Brian U. Stratton said. The vessel was purchased in 1904 by George Taylor Fulford, a member of Canadian Parliament. The yacht remained with the family for many years, home ported on the family estate on the St. Lawrence River. While there, it hosted the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Kent, and the prime ministers of both England and Canada.

23 Jun 2011

Steamboat Flotilla on Erie Canal

The flotilla will be led by the (diesel-powered) 110-year-old tugboat Urger, the flagship of the New York State Canal Corporation fleet. WHERE: Erie Canal, from Lock 17 (Little Falls) to Waterford Harbor. WHEN: Steamboat Flotilla departs Lock 17 at 9 a.m., Sunday, June 26, 2011. Schedule below. Sunday, June 26: 9 a.m. Monday, June 27: 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 28: 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 29: 9 a.m. Flotilla steams to Waterford Visitors Center.

01 Sep 2011

Tugboat Roundup Cancelled in Waterford

Event Was Scheduled for Sept. 9-11. The annual Tugboat Roundup scheduled for Sept. 9-11, 2011, at the Waterford Harbor on the Erie Canal has been cancelled because of the impacts from Tropical Storm Irene. High waters and flood damage have hampered navigation along the New York State Canal system. The Hudson River also has high waters. The Erie Canal remains closed to navigation between Lock 2 in Waterford, Saratoga County, and Lock 19 in Frankfort, Montgomery County. The Champlain Canal remains closed for its entire length. No date has been established on when these canal sections might re-open. For updates and information monitor 1-800-4CANAL4 and www.canals.ny.gov or contact Tom Beardsley, Tugboat Roundup, [email protected] ; (315) 263-8906.

26 Oct 2011

U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature: Erie Canal

Profile America — Wednesday, October 26th. One of young America's most ambitious engineering projects opened on this date in 1825 — allowing goods to flow from Lake Erie through New York State to the Hudson River. It was the Erie Canal, 363 miles long, four feet deep and 40 feet wide, with tow paths for mules to pull the barges along. The super highway of its day, the Erie Canal opened up the Western Frontier and made New York City into the nation's number one port. Today, the canal's importance has shifted to recreation. America's waterways — especially the Mississippi River — carry an increasing amount of freight, totaling close to two and a half billion tons each year. Petroleum products are by far the largest category of freight moved on the water.