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Pennsylvania News

14 Feb 2024

US Great Lakes Shipping Companies Spend $120 Million on Winter Repairs

(Photo: Lake Carriersā€™ Association)

American shipping companies are spending more than $120 million to repair and maintain their fleets of Great Lakes bulk carriers this winter.The fleet of U.S.-flagged ships, known as "lakers", can move more than 90 million tons of cargos annually, including iron ore, stone, coal, grain, salt and sand. Each year after the shipping season draws to a close, these vessels enter shipyards and repair facilities around the Great Lakes for a period of winter maintenance and repair. Thisā€¦

28 Nov 2023

Wabtec, Marinsa Win 20-Engine Deal for New Panama Canal Tugboats

Wabtec Corporation and Latin American Channel Partner, Marinsa International, signed a contract to supply the primary power for 10 new hybrid tractor tugboats for the Panama Canal Authority (ACP). Wabtec will deliver two 8L250MDA marine engines for each tugboat. Image courtesy Wabtec

Wabtec Corporation and Latin American Channel Partner, Marinsa International, signed a contract to supply the primary power for 10 new hybrid tractor tugboats for the Panama Canal Authority (ACP). Wabtec will deliver two 8L250MDA marine engines for each tugboat.ā€œWabtec is delighted to power the new hybrid Panama Canal tugs with the 8L250MDA marine engines,ā€ said Tammy Gromacki, Wabtecā€™s Vice President of Marine, Stationary and Drill. ā€œWe are honored, through our partnership with Marinsaā€¦

12 Oct 2023

Inland Waterways: US Making Progress on Infrastructure

(Photo: Michel Sauret / USACE)

The United Statesā€™ vast network of navigable inland rivers is vital to the nationā€™s economy, serving as an aquatic superhighway for the efficient shipment of critical commodities like agricultural goods, energy products, building materials and industrial chemicals to destinations within the U.S. and to deepwater ports for export. The Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI), which advocates for a modern, efficient and well-maintained inland waterways, often describes the network as ā€œtheā€¦

14 Sep 2023

USACE Awards Contract for Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3 Removal

(Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District awards a nearly $30 million contract to remove the Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3 in Elizabeth, Pa.The district awarded the dam removal contract to the Pittsburgh-based Joseph B. Fay Company.The work is part of the Lower Monongahela River project, which includes the construction of the larger lock chamber at Locks and Dam 4 at river mile 41.5 near Charleroi and the replacement of the fixed-crest dam with a gated dam at Locks and Dam 2 in Braddockā€¦

16 Aug 2023

MARAD Designates Two New Marine Highway Routes

(Photo: Eric Haun)

Two new routes have been designated under the U.S. Marine Highway Program (MHP), U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced this week during a visit to Alaska.The newly designated M-11 in Alaska will add over 6,500 miles to the marine highway system, and the M-79 route extends the reach of the Ohio River system by nearly 250 miles in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. These designations allow any eligible applicant on these routes to apply for future U.S. Marine Highway Program grantsā€¦

28 Jul 2023

Ocean Shippers Playing Catch Up to Electric Vehicle Fire Risk

Freemantle Highway car carrier burning off the Dutch coast - Credit: Dutch Coast Guard

Electric vehicles are crisscrossing the globe to reach their eager buyers, but the battery technology involved in the zero- emission automobiles is exposing under-prepared maritime shippers to the risk of hard-to-control fires, industry, insurance, and emergency response officials said.That risk has been put under the spotlight by the burning car carrier [Freemantle Highway] drifting off the Dutch coast. The Dutch coastguard said the fire's cause was unknown, but Dutch broadcasterā€¦

20 Jul 2023

Biden Attends Steel Cutting for Great Lakes' Subsea Rock Installation Vessel

From left to right: Lasse Petterson, CEO of Great Lakes Dredge and Dock; Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa.; President Joe Biden; and Steinar Nerbovik, CEO of Philadelphia Shipyard (Photo: Philly Shipyard)

President Joe Biden traveled to Philadelphia on Thursday to attend a steel cutting ceremony for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation's new offshore wind rock placement vessel, touting his administrationā€™s clean energy agenda and job creation efforts as the U.S. builds up its offshore wind industry. "The clean energy future weā€™re building all across America will be transformational,ā€ Biden said during the ceremony at Philly Shipyard. ā€œThousands of families will rely on good jobs these projects createā€¦

18 Jul 2023

USACE Awarded a Slew of Dredging Work in the First Half of 2023

(Photo: Dredging Contractors of America)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is snapping back from the doldrums of COVID-19, wrapping up a strong first half of 2023 with a slew of awarded dredging work.ā€œThe federal government is no different from state and local governments, nor the private sector when it comes to COVID-19 work related recovery and USACE is not an exception,ā€ said William P. Doyle, CEO of the Dredging Contractors of America. ā€œThe Army Corps has been steadily issuing contract awards since February, and thatā€™s on the award side.

05 Jul 2023

TDI-Brooks Awarded Geotechnical Coring Project Off US East Coast

(Photo: TDI-Brooks)

Avangrid has awarded TDI-Brooks a shallow water geotechnical site investigation survey at block OCS A-0508, also known as Kitty Hawk Wind. The data collected will inform the design of the export cable and inter-array packages.The scope of work includes utilizing a TDI-Brooksā€™ owned Datum Neptune 5K (pCPT) at 155 sites and a newly-designed TDI-Brooks pneumatic vibracorer (pVC) at 80 sites. The pVC is a light weight (4,600-lb in air), high power vibracorer and has been successfully deployed on the US East Coast >200 times for offshore wind farm (OSWF) projects.

20 Jun 2023

Change of Command at USCG R&D Center

Image courtesy USCG RDC

The U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) held a Change of Command on June 16, 2023, at 10 a.m. at Fort Trumbull in New London. Current RDC Commanding Officer, Capt. Dan Keane, was relieved by Capt. Michael Chien. Capt. Keane held command since May 1, 2020. He retires with 24 years of service.During Capt. Keaneā€™s tenure, the command operated seamlessly during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research continued and the approved portfolio was executed. Highlights included the command celebrating its 50th anniversaryā€¦

12 Jun 2023

USACE Awards More than $100 Million in Dredging Work

(File photo: Curtin Maritime)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on Friday awarded three contracts totaling more than $100 million for dredging projects in Puerto Rico, Oregon and Pennsylvania.USACE Jacksonville awarded Long Beach, Calif. based Curtin Maritime Corp. a $54,204,676 firm-fixed-price contract for San Juan Harbor construction and maintenance dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with seven received. Work will be performed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2024. USACE Portland, Ore. awarded Seattle based Manson Construction Co.

05 Apr 2023

Silver Ships Delivers Workboat to USACE Pittsburgh District

(Photo: Silver Ships)

Theodore, Ala. aluminum boatbuilder Silver Ships recently delivered an Explorer 40 workboat to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Pittsburgh District for use on the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers.The second of three Explorer 40 series workboats ordered by USACE Pittsburgh District, the 40-foot workboat will support the Corpsā€™ mission of improving navigable waterways and water infrastructure.The custom-built 40-foot vessel is powered by Twin 350HP Suzuki outboard motors that give the vessel enhanced maneuvering capabilities for working in tight spaces.

14 Mar 2023

GLDD Preps for its New Hopper Dredge Galveston Island

Image courtesy GLDD

With dredging business booming in the U.S., companies across the country invest in innovative new tonnage to get the job done more efficiently, effectively and safely. Chris Gunsten, SVP, Project Services & Fleet Engineering, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (GLDD) and Patrick Webb, Senior Director Sales - Global Marine and Stationary, Wabtec discuss the tech inside the new Conrad-built trailing suction hopper dredge Galveston Island.Conrad Shipyard recently launched Galveston Island, the first of two newbuild hopper dredges being built for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation.

07 Feb 2023

US Great Lakes Fleet Set for $126 Million in Winter Work

(Photo: Lake Carriersā€™ Association)

The U.S. Great Lakes shipping fleet has begun the annual transition from sailing to scheduled periods in regional docks and ship repair facilities for repair, maintenance and modernization.This year alone, U.S. Great Lakes shipping companies will invest more than $126 million in their vesselsā€”from over 1,000-feet to smaller tug and barge combinationsā€”at shipyards and facilities across the Great Lakes, according to trade group the Lake Carriersā€™ Association. This includes more than $48 million in Wisconsinā€¦

24 Nov 2022

Sail Freight: Fair Winds or Grassroot Sustainability?

(Photo: Hudson River Maritime Museum)

Climate change advocates and seafarers recently gathered for a small conference at the Hudson Valley Maritime Museum in Kingston, N.Y., to discuss the shipping industryā€™s struggle to achieve sustainability and environmental compliance.The setting, the hamlet of Rondout, N.Y. (within Kingston), holds significance as it was, ironically, a Hudson River port once considered the largest coal port in the world (yes, the world). In 1828, the opening of the Delaware and Hudson Canal enabled coal to be delivered from Pennsylvania to New York City.

09 Sep 2022

Ingalls Begins LPD 31 Fabrication

(Photo: HII)

HIIā€™s Ingalls Shipbuilding division started fabrication of the U.S. Navyā€™s newest San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock Pittsburgh (LPD 31) on Wednesday. The start of fabrication signifies that the first 100 tons of steel have been cut for the ship.ā€œThe start of fabrication on LPD 31 demonstrates our ability to continue manufacturing quality ships for our Navy and Marine Corps partners,ā€ said Mike Pruitt, Ingalls Shipbuilding LPD program manager. ā€œOur shipbuilders are excitedā€¦

30 Aug 2022

Wabtec's Power Play

Image courtesy Reinauer Transportation

With shipowners pressed to upgrade machinery to meet strict new emission targets, thereā€™s much confusion with chatter surrounding ā€˜decarbonizationā€™ and ā€˜future fuelsā€™, solutions that donā€™t exist today ā€“ and may not exist in mass for another generation ā€“ cluttering the conversation. Enter Wabtec, formerly GE Transportation, which today offers a Tier 4 compliant engine with no need for urea. Is it the cheapest propulsion solution on the market? No. But the Pennsylvania-based engine builder mounts a compelling case for its 250MDC diesel engine based on performanceā€¦

23 Jun 2022

Biden Administration, East Coast States to Push Wind Energy

Ā© Collin / Adobe Stock

The Biden administration is partnering with 11 East Coast states to accelerate the development of offshore wind facilities, including addressing supply chain issues, advancing construction and boosting jobs, the White House said on Thursday.The move is part of President Joe Biden's push into cleaner energy technologies as part of its efforts to address climate change and comes as rising prices, particularly gasoline, weigh on his agenda."The partnership will support efforts to provide Americans with cleaner and cheaper energyā€¦

31 Mar 2022

Campbell Buys Assets of E Squared Marine

Campbell Transportation Company, Inc. (CTC), a fully integrated marine services company headquartered in Pennsylvania, announced Thursday that it has purchased the marine assets of Houston-based tank barge shipping company E Squared Marine Service, LLC.Campbell Transportation, which owns and/or manages a growing number of dry and liquid cargo barges and operates 50 towboats on the inland waterways system, said the acquisition is a step forward in its plan to grow by diversifying and expanding its current business into new and growing markets.This acquisition is a significant expansion of Campbellā€™s tank barge operations providing an operating and fleeting location in Houston.According to the E Squared Marine websiteā€¦

02 May 2022

USACE Buffalo Leasing Great Lakes Tug

The tugboat Don Raul, a 74-foot, 2,800 horsepower, twin-screw seagoing tug, built by Great Lakes Shipyard in 2008, at work on the water. (Photo: Great Lakes Towing)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District awarded a $8.4 million contract to Cleveland-based Great Lakes Towing on April 20 for lease of the tugboat Don Raul to serve on the Great Lakes.The boat will primarily be used on Lake Erie between Buffalo, N.Y. and Toledo, Ohio, but may serve all the way to Massena, N.Y., towing the Buffalo Districtā€™s repair fleet. The fleet is one of three strategically located across the Great Lakes, providing a flexible, rapid responseā€¦

07 Jun 2022

Joseph Mele Joins MidAtlantic Engineering Partners

Joseph Mele (Photo: MidAtlantic)

Civil, environmental, marine engineering, and surveying firm, MidAtlantic Engineering Partners announced Joseph Mele, P.E., P.P., P.L.S. has joined its team as part of their growth initiative for northern New Jersey and an expansion of services in New York.According to company officials, adding Meleā€™s strong experience in Hudson, Essex, and Bergen Counties will enable MidAtlanticā€™s civil engineering, surveying, environmental, and marine engineering services, which clients have engaged throughout northern New Jersey, to become a key focus of growth.

26 Apr 2022

Carnival Corp Names Weinstein as Next President & CEO

Josh Weinstein (Photo: Carnival Corporation & plc)

Carnival Corporation & plc, the world's largest cruise company, announced its current Chief Operations Officer Josh Weinstein will assume the role of President and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc, effective August 1, succeeding Arnold Donald, who is being appointed Vice Chair and member of the Boards of Directors.A 20-year veteran of Carnival Corporation & plc, Weinstein has held critical senior-level roles for the company. In his most recent assignment for the past two years as Carnival Corporation & plc's Chief Operations Officerā€¦

25 May 2022

US Inland Waterways: Big Money, New Projects, Help Wanted

(Photo: North Mississippi Industrial Development Association)

New federal money promises dramatic impacts throughout the United Statesā€™ inland waterways system in 2022 and beyond. This report focuses on Americaā€™s central rivers; the Western rivers will be covered in a future report. These central rivers reach 11,000 miles, from Pennsylvania to Florida and from Texas to South Dakota.Consider the money within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ā€œCivil Works Program Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), 2022 Construction Spend Plan.ā€In Arkansasā€¦