Columbia Coastal Transport News

Commissioner William P. Doyle's remarks at the Commission Briefing on Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Port Congestion Forum, November 13 2014 in Baltimore, MD. On October 1, 2014, Commissioner Lidinsky and I hosted the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Port Congestion Forum at the World Trade Center in Baltimore, Maryland. I want to thank all the FMC staff for their participation in setting up and managing the day’s event. David Tubman and Jewel Jennings-Wright worked tirelessly for weeks helping to locate attendees and participants. Thank you both.

Columbia Coastal Transport moved its New Jersey Operations office from Union to Newark, NJ. This office has operations and customer service responsibilities for the companies Northern and MidAtlantic container barge services. The new address for the Operations group is: Columbia Coastal Transport, 99 Chapel Street, Newark, NJ 07105. The new phone number is (973) 466-3001, and the new fax number is (973) 466-3004. For more information, visit www.columbia-group.com

Columbia Coastal Transport, an East Coast container barge operator, said that its Vessel Security Plan was approved by the US Coast Guard.. This approval remains valid for five years, and insures the company’s compliance with the final Maritime security requirements mandated by the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) of 2002. “Columbia Coastal is among the first companies to date that have had their Vessel Security Plans approved by the US Coast Guard,” said Bruce Fenimore, president of Columbia Coastal. “This indicates not only our commitment to serve our customers without interruption, but also to the ports and terminals that we call on a regular basis.

Pictured is Columbia Coastal Transport’s newest barge, Columbia Boston, just after its launching at VT Halter Marine’s facility in Pascagoula, Miss. Columbia Coastal Transport, LLC, a container feeder barge operator, announced the arrival of its newest container super-barge, Columbia Boston, into service this month. The 912-TEU barge is sister to Columbia Elizabeth, which was put into service four years ago and is one of the largest container barges ever built. Columbia Boston…

Stolt-Nielsen S.A. appointed Otto H. Fritzner as CEO of Stolt-Nielsen Transportation Group (SNTG). Fritzner most recently served as Managing Director, Ship Owning at SNTG. He succeeds James B. Hurlock, who was named Interim CEO of SNTG in July 2003. • SNTG's global operations will be organized into three regions - the Americas, administered from Greenwich, Conn.; Asia-Pacific, administered from Singapore; and Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa (EMEIA), administered from Rotterdam, SNTG's corporate headquarters. • SNTG's Indian Ocean Service and the Europe-to-Asia Pacific Service will be operated out of Rotterdam. I.M. Skaugen ASA announced that Skaugen PetroTrans (SPT), its 50 percent owned joint venture company, has appointed Per Voie as its President.

Columbia Coastal Transport, LLC, a container feeder barge operator, announced the arrival of its newest container super-barge, Columbia Boston, into service this month. The 912-TEU barge is sister to Columbia Elizabeth, which was put into service four years ago and is one of the largest container barges ever built. Columbia Boston, named for one of 11 ports that the company serves on a regular basis, will be available to transport empties, full container and project cargoes moving between ports on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. "This is the second super-barge we've built for the new millennium," said Columbia Coastal president, Bruce Fenimore. Built by VT Halter Marine Inc., based in Pascagoula, Miss., Columbia Boston is a 343 x 94 x 21-ft.

Transportation industry veteran Gerald P. Toomey died on Monday, November 19, at the Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, NJ. He was 73. During his long tenure inthe transportation industry, Toomey was best known for his contributions at Sea-Land Service, Inc. where he worked from 1963 until 1974. There, he was instrumental in the development of the company’s Puerto Rico and Caribbean trades, and he ultimately served as Sea-Land’s group vice president, Caribbean. In 1974, when Sea-Land spun off its Puerto Rico/Caribbean division, Toomey took the helm of Puerto Rico Marine Management, Inc. (PRMMI) as president ofthe management company that operated Navieras de Puerto Rico, the Puerto Ricanstate-owned steamship line. Toomey also worked withTrans Freight lines, a U.S.

Columbia Coastal Transport, LLC,has announced the formation of a new government/military and project division to assist companies with their cargo needs in these specialized areas. Donovan Murray will head up the newly established government/military division, and Joseph Villa will serve as general manager operations overseeing the project division. Murray has been with Columbia Coastal since August of 1993, and was named as port manager in Baltimore in August of 1995. Most recently, he has served as regional manager for the company’s Chesapeake services. In his new post, Murray will oversee the company’s government/military division which handles all manner of U.S. government and military cargoes aboard its U.S. flag barges.

Columbia Coastal Transport has deployed its 480-teu barge, Columbia Wilmington, into Freeport, Bahamas, effective immediately. Columbia's commitment to Freeport is part of the company's strategic plan, which coincides with Freeport Container Port's significant expansion and positioning as a major container hub port. Columbia's feeder services encompass twice weekly sailings melding New York/New Jersey with Boston, and Portland, Maine in the North Atlantic. The company's weekly service links New York/New Jersey with Philadelphia and Baltimore and the Chesapeake, as well as a dedicated service between U.S. ports and Freeport. The company also provides a full project cargo services between U.S. Coastal and inland ports, in addition to and from the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico.

Columbia Coastal Transport has added five additional vessels to its fleet of container barges that provide container feeder and project cargo services. The additional barges, which range in capacity from 112 to 660-teus, were previously owned by Hale Trans of Baltimore, Md. The newly attained barges will be updated with Columbia's specifications, and will be outfitted with new lashing gear and state-of-the-art power packs for transporting reefer cargo. The new vessels joining the fleet include the 630-teu Liberty Trader; the 520-teu Baltimore Trader; Norfolk Trader and Philadelphia Trader, each with 420-teu capacity; and the 224-teu New England Trader.

Columbia Coastal Transport, LLC, has been notified by Maritime Administrator, Captain William G. Schubert, that its application was approved for MARAD’s Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA) program. Its acceptance into the VISA program allows Columbia Coastal to receive top-tier award priority for Department of Defense peacetime cargo. Columbia Coastal has also completed the contingency contracts for both the Military Traffic Management Command and Military Sealift Command which dictate terms and rates in the eventits vessels are utilized in time of war. “All of Columbia Coastal’s 14 barges are committed into the VISA program,” said Mr. Donovan Murray, General Manager Government Affairs at Columbia Coastal.

As heads of state gather in Panama for Dec. 14 ceremonies in advance of the transfer of the Panama Canal on the Dec. 31, the small Caribbean nation of 2.8 million prepares to step out of Washington's shadow. Since the U.S.S. Nashville guaranteed Panama's independence from Colombia in 1903, the U.S. has maintained a military garrison in Panama and kept administrative control of the canal it built across the isthmus. For decades, Panamanian nationalists rallied to the cry of "one flag, one territory," calling the 10-mile (16 km)-wide U.S.-controlled Canal Zone a "stake through the nation's heart." But when that stake finally comes out at noon on Dec. 31 and the 50-mile (82 km) waterway passes to Panama's control, it will wake up to the challenge of full nationhood.

U.S.-flag container feeder barge operator, Columbia Coastal Transport added Columbia Elizabeth — one of the largest container barges ever built — to its fleet. The 912 TEU barge, which was christened in Portland, Ore., is ready to transport empties, full container and project cargoes moving between the U.S. west coast, gulf coast and eastern seaboard ports. Completing the 5,900-mile journey from the west coast to the eastern seaboard through the Panama Canal, the vessel is expected to enter service in early January. Constructed by Gunderson, Inc., the 343 x 94 x 21 ft. (105 x 29 x 6 m) deck cargo barge is specially fitted to carry 20-, 40- and 45 ft. ISO containers, including reefers.

Columbia Coastal Transport, LLC has promoted Richard Bowen to operations manager at its Norfolk, Va. office, effective immediately. In his new position, Bowen will be responsible for scheduling and coordinating labor services with the company's day-to-day stevedoring operations for all vessels calling in that area. Bowen has been with Columbia Coastal since 1997, serving as the company's Port Captain in Norfolk. Prior to that, he had been with Ceres Marine Terminals, also in Norfolk, where he served as Vessel Superintendent for two years. From 1993 until 1997, Mr. Bowen worked with Van-Ommeran Shipping as terminal supervisor.

Columbia Coastal Transport added the first of four new container barges to its fleet in the Port of Charleson, S.C. Columbia New York (formerly Columbia Trader) will be operated in the company's southern service, calling the ports of Charleston, Savannah and Miami on a regular weekly basis. Columbia New York was refurbished at the Detyens Shipyard in Charleston. The newly configured barge will be able to transport both 20 and 40 ft. containers, with capacities of 590 TEUs or 295 FEUs. Three more barges are scheduled to come into service over the next six weeks, including Columbia Newark (capacity of 670 TEUs); Columbia Philadelphia (capacity of 480 TEUs); and Columbia Wilmington (capacity 480 TEUs).

The ownership of Columbia Coastal Transport, a container barge operator on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts, announced the addition of two new companies to its Columbia Group of Companies. Palmer Industries, Inc., a logistics company in Port Newark, has been acquired and will be named Columbia Container Services at a grand opening ceremony to take place on July 1, 2003. Also added to the Columbia Group of companies is Columbia Intermodal, a full container trucking company based in Port Newark. Principals of the newly acquired companies include Bruce Fenimore, President, Greg McGinty, Managing Director and John Armstrong, Vice President.

Columbia Coastal Transport has announced the promotion of Joseph Villa to vice president operations effective immediately where he will be based in the Liberty Corner headquarters and will report directly to Bruce Fenimore, president of Columbia Coastal. Villa joined Columbia Coastal in October of 1999 as General Manager Operations. Prior to that, he had 18 years of varied operations experience acquired with Sea-land Service, Inc. where he last served as Marine Operations Manager in Port Everglades, Florida. During his tenure with Sea-Land, Villa held increasingly responsible management positions in operations, gaining experience in terminal operations, equipment control, rail and marine operations. Mr.