Development Corporation News

The St. Lawrence Seaway opened its 66th season of operation today with an official ceremony in Niagara Region.Terence Bowles, President and CEO of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) was joined by U.S. Great Lakes St. Lawrence Development Corporation Administrator Adam Tindall-Schlicht in welcoming the many who came out for the event, including M.P. Vance Badawey, Parliamentary Secretary to the Canadian Minister of Transport.“We are thrilled to have a renewed Management Operations and Maintenance Agreement with the Government of Canada.

Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld has announced Jonathan Daniels as the new executive director of the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Maryland Port Administration. Daniels comes to Maryland after serving as chief executive officer and director at Port Everglades in Broward County, Fla., and has more than 30 years of port and economic development experience.Daniels will begin in his new position February 5, taking over from Brian Miller, who has been serving…

SWITCH Maritime announced plans to grow its U.S. fleet of zero-emission ferries following the completion of a $10 million in a Series A round led by Nexus Development Capital.Founded in 2018, SWITCH’s mission is to enable private and public municipal ferry operators to more easily replace their carbon-intensive, diesel-powered fleets while reducing operating and fueling costs over the lifetime of their vessels.The fundraise comes on the back of the completion of its flagship zero-emission vessel…

New York City is looking at ways to help shift freight transportation off of its busy roads and onto the waterways.The city's Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) and Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) on Wednesday jointly released a Request for Information and Expressions of Interest (RFEI) seeking private sector feedback to help it gauge industry challenges and opportunities, and explore ways to implement and support businesses to engage in waterfront freight operations.The initiative is part of NYC's "Blue Highways" program, launched under the city's previous mayor, Bill de Blasio.

The union representing St. Lawrence Seaway workers in eastern Canada said it reached a tentative labor agreement on Sunday, ending a week-long strike that shut down a key North American trade route linked to the Atlantic Ocean.The Unifor union, representing some 360 workers, said it agreed to a deal with the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp (Seaway) that would cover engineering, maintenance, and other worker groups in Ontario and Quebec provinces.Other details of the agreement, which would need to be ratified by the workers, were not shared.

New York City has awarded Hornblower Group a new contract to continue as operator of the NYC Ferry service after the deal was put up for rebid.The 38-vessel NYC Ferry system is the nation's largest passenger-only ferry fleet, serving about 7 million riders annually with six routes that collectively span 70 nautical miles and touch all five city boroughs.Hornblower, which has served as NYC Ferry's operator since the service was launched in 2017, was awarded the new contract from…

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, together with the state's Department of Transportation (WisDOT), announced grants totaling $5.3 million for seven harbor maintenance and improvement projects to promote waterborne freight and economic development.“From the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, Wisconsin’s unique geography provides our state opportunities to grow our economy and help our businesses reach markets worldwide,” said Gov. Evers. “These grants will help maintain our harbors and ensure our ports are secure and reliable…

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson has selected Jackie Q. Carter to serve as Municipal Port Director. In this position, Carter will direct commercial and recreational operations at Port Milwaukee, oversee a staff of twenty people, and administer Foreign Trade Zone No. 41. The appointment is subject to Common Council approval.A lifelong resident of Milwaukee, Carter has worked in the local non-profit and public sector for more than 20 years. She most recently served as the Finance & Administration Officer for Port Milwaukee…

The White House announced President Biden's appointment of former Milwaukee port director, Adam Tindall-Schlicht, as the next Administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS). Tindall-Schlicht resigned his position at Port Milwaukee on October 19.An agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the GLS is responsible for operation of U.S. portions of the St. Lawrence Seaway. It works in partnership with it's Canadian counterpart to maintain a safe…

Equinor and BP on Thursday announced the launch of a New York-based Offshore Wind Innovation Hub that they say will facilitate partnerships with start-ups that bring new technological solutions to the growing US offshore wind industry"The initiative springs from a new three-year partnership between Equinor, the Urban Future Lab (UFL) at the NY Tandon School of Engineering, and the National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium (NOWRDC), supported by New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)…

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 Mele’s strong experience in Hudson, Essex, and Bergen Counties will enable MidAtlantic’s civil engineering, surveying, environmental, and marine engineering services, which clients have engaged throughout northern New Jersey, to become a key focus of growth.

The St. Lawrence Seaway kicked off its 2022 navigation season on Tuesday, with international freighters able to arrive at the Montreal – Lake Ontario section of the binational St. Lawrence Seaway.“We’re thrilled to start the 2022 navigation season,” said Craig Middlebrook, Deputy Administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. “This year we’re confident that the St. Lawrence Seaway will continue to be a major driver of economic development while offering…

The storied South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) complex in Brooklyn, N.Y. will be transformed into a major regional hub for offshore wind under a new agreement signed Thursday.Energy companies Equinor and bp said they reached a deal with terminal operator Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SSBMT) and New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to transform the terminal into an offshore wind port for staging and assembling offshore wind technology components for the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects and for the growing U.S.

SAAM Towage Canada and Coast Tsimshian Enterprises Ltd. have signed a strategic alliance agreement covering access to education, training, employment and towing services.The agreement is effective immediately. Through this long-term alliance, SAAM Towage Canada will provide towage, ship-docking and ship escort services within the traditional territory of the Coast Tsimshian, including the Port of Prince Rupert and Port Edward. Additionally, the alliance will establish long-term sustainable benefits for Lax Kw’alaams and the Metlakatla First Nation and provide access to education…

Key stakeholders behind the efforts to launch innovative container-on-vessel (COV) service to the Midwest on Firday announced that Hawtex Development Corporation is signing on as the lead developer for a new COV port facility in Jefferson County, Mo. to be developed in collaboration with Fred Weber/Riverview Commerce Park LLC and integrating a 300+ acre adjacent parcel owned by The Doe Run Company. The new port will be a critical link on the new, all-water, north-south trade lane connecting the Midwest and the St. Louis region to the lower Mississippi River and on to worldwide destinations.

The world’s first hydrogen fueling of a commercial marine vessel was successfully completed, and the vessel is now beginning its final sea trials before delivery, SWITCH Maritime announced.The new 75-passenger ferry, called the Sea Change, received hydrogen into its 242 kg tanks on the upper deck on November 18 at All American Marine shipyard. It uses that hydrogen in fuel cells producing electricity to power electric motors for distances up to 300 nautical miles, and speeds up…

Sea Change - America’s first hydrogen powered ferrySWITCH Maritime’s new 70-foot passenger ferry Sea Change is navigating uncharted waters as the United States’ first zero-emissions, hydrogen fuel cell-powered, electric-drive ferry.The pioneering aluminum newbuild, constructed by Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine, Inc. (AAM), has been completed and was launched this summer, though permitting of hydrogen fuel systems for maritime vessels is still being worked out with the U.S. Coast Guard.“Legislation and laws for passenger safety did not exist yet for this type of vessel.

Marubeni Corporation and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) are working together to develop a dual-fuel methanol/very-low sulfur fuel oil powered vessel to ship methanol from Russia.On September3, during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, the Japanese firms signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Development of the Far East and the Arctic Regions, State Development Corporation VEB.RF, VTB Bank and ESN Limited Liability Company (ESN Group) to commence a joint study to build…

The United States' first zero-emissions, hydrogen fuel cell-powered, electric-drive ferry has been launched and is gearing up for operational trials off the U.S. West Coast.Constructed by Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine, Inc. (AAM), SWITCH Maritime's 70-foot newbuild Sea Change will operate in the California Bay Area as the United States' first hydrogen fuel cell vessel, developed to demonstrate a pathway to commercialization for zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell marine technologies. While still working on permitting of hydrogen fuel systems for maritime vessels with the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) announced it has taken delivery of its new 118-foot icebreaking tug, the Seaway Guardian, in Massena, N.Y. Built by Gulf Island Shipyards in Houma, La., the vessel is the first new tug to join SLSDC since the Seaway opened 61 years ago.The new $24 million tug will primarily be used for buoy maintenance and ice management on the St. Lawrence Seaway, replacing the long-serving 62-year-old Robinson Bay, which the SLSDC will maintain as backup.

U.S. Great Lakes ports reported mixed results in June with aluminum, road salt and grain shipments holding strong despite the coronavirus pandemic, while shipments of commodities related to steel production and manufacturing have continued to slide.Additionally, the St. Lawrence Seaway reported that from April 1 to June 30, nearly 11.7 million metric tons of cargo was shipped via the bi-national trade corridor. While these volumes were down 8% compared to the same time period in 2019, cargo shipments improved in June narrowing the year-over-year decline.Craig H.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded $9.5 million in grants to eight marine highways projects across the Nation under the America’s Marine Highway Program. The funding supports the enhancement of navigable waterways and expands existing waterborne freight services in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and American Samoa.“This Federal assistance will provide additional options to reduce congestion on the roads and help the surrounding local communities’ and the regions’ economic recovery…

Last year, China replaced the United States as the No. 1 importer of oil from Venezuela, yet another front in the heated rivalry between Washington and Beijing.The United States had imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s state-owned oil company as part of a bid to topple that country’s socialist president, Nicolas Maduro. U.S. refineries stopped buying Venezuelan crude. Caracas’ ally China, long a major customer, suddenly found itself the top purchaser. Through the first six months of 2019, it imported an average of 350,000 barrels per day of crude from Venezuela.But in August, Washington tightened its sanctions on Venezuela, warning that any foreign entity that continued to do business with the South American country’s government could find itself subject to sanctions.