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Columbia Snake River News

21 Mar 2024

Inland Waterways Focus: The Pacific Northwest Columbia-Snake River System

Š Rich / Adobe Stock

"The Columbia River and its tributaries, wetlands, and estuaries are the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest, providing abundant water, power, recreation, agriculture, transportation and natural resources that have supported livelihoods, cultural and spiritual practices, commerce and economic growth.” - President Biden, Memorandum of September 27, 2023.Those abundant benefits directly impact about 13 million people in the Pacific Northwest. Hydropower extends that plentitude to millions more, powering cities and industry from Idaho to California.

23 Mar 2023

Lower Snake River Issues Cause Concern for Barge Transportation Industry

Š PaulMassiePhoto / Adobe Stock

The inland waterways report in September 2022 edition of Marine News focused on issues facing the Lower Snake River Dams (LSRD) in the northwest, in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Walla Walla District.That report referenced issues and concerns confronting regional towboat and barge operators about possible changes to the Columbia Snake River System – perhaps even breaching the four Lower Snake River dams, a move with irreversible consequences.In August, a report by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee was completed and the report’s recommendations were published.

15 Sep 2022

Inland Waterways Report: Columbia-Snake River System

(Photo: Tidewater Transportation and Terminals)

It’s amazing to consider that a commercial vessel in the Pacific Ocean, approaching the mouth of the Columbia River, can continue its eastward journey to finally tie up at the Port of Lewiston, in Lewiston, Idaho, America’s most inland West Coast port, 465 miles from the Pacific Ocean.The Columbia and Snake Rivers form that critical east-west waterway, an economic powerhouse regionally, nationally and internationally. According to the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA)…

11 Nov 2021

Interview: Will Roberts, President, Foss Maritime

Will Roberts (Photo: Foss Maritime)

Will Roberts joined Seattle-based Foss Maritime in 2017 as chief commercial officer, and in 2018 he was named chief operating officer. Prior to joining Foss, Roberts held a number of leadership roles for marine systems and services provider Rolls-Royce, rising to senior vice president, customer and services–Americas. A U.S. Navy veteran, Roberts served as a qualified deck and engineering officer aboard the fast attack submarine USS Honolulu. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a degree in ocean engineering and holds a Master of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University.

14 Oct 2020

Tidewater Names Degodny CCO

Aaron Degodny (Photo: Tidewater Transportation and Terminals)

Tidewater Transportation and Terminals said it recently added Aaron Degodny as its new Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer. As part of Tidewater’s executive leadership team, Degodny will focus on establishing strategic partnerships in new markets, expanding and strengthening client relationships, and extending the regional and global footprint of Tidewater, the largest barge transportation and terminal network on the Columbia-Snake River system. He will have direct oversight and responsibility for business development, sales and marketing, public relations and media.

04 Sep 2020

Tidewater to Expand Columbia Snake River Service

(Photo: Tidewater Transportation and Terminals)

Vancouver, Wash. based Tidewater Transportation and Terminals announced it will expand its service on the Columbia Snake River System.The Pacific Northwest focused inland marine transportation company has been awarded a $3.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) to aid in the expansion of its barge service from the Port of Morrow in Boardman, Ore. to Vancouver, Wash.The expansion will include the procurement of a new barge capable…

30 Aug 2019

New Ethanol Terminal Inaugurated in Columbia

In Washington state, Tidewater Transportation and Terminals inaugurated a $12.5 million ethanol unloading and storage site in Pasco to serve the Columbia and Snake River regions.On Tuesday, August 27, more than 60 area notables, members of the business community, and terminal personnel gathered mid-afternoon for a ribbon cutting ceremony and celebration of the company’s state-of-the-art, onsite ethanol unloading and storage facility in Pasco.The facility consists of a 24-hour ethanol unit train railcar unloading rack with 24 new unloading stations and associated rail spurs. In addition, two 65,000-barrel steel tanks were built in order to provide reliable operating storage when an ethanol unit train arrives.

18 May 2018

Tidewater Attains First Sub M COI on the West Coast

Back row (l-r): Chris Springer, District 13 USCG; Bill Collins, Tidewater EHS&S Director; Josh Jarman, Tidewater Quality & Compliance Manager; Marc Schwartz, Tidewater Maintenance & Engineering Manager; Craig Nelson, Tidewater Vessel Operations Manager; Bruce Reed, Tidewater VP & COO; Josh Nichols, Tidewater Captain & Assistant Port Captain. Front row (l-r): Austin Murai, MSTC USCG; Brian Fletcher, Tidewater Port Captain; Jeff Deronde, MST1 USCG (Photo: Tidewater)

Tidewater Transportation and Terminals of Vancouver, Wash., announced today that the Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance and the Coast Guard Sector Columbia River has issued a Certificate of Inspection (COI) to the towing vessel Crown Point for compliance under the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) Subchapter M safety regulations governing the inspection, standards and safety management systems of towing vessels.This COI is the first issued to a west coast (PACAREA) tugboat/towboat operator.The Crown Point is the first of three custom-built river towboats built for Tidewater in 2015.

28 Dec 2016

Innovative Boats: Marine News' Best of 2016

Image: Vard Marine

Marine News looks back at the past 12 months and showcases the best of North America’s workboat design shop and shipyard output. In a year where some stakeholders might not rank 2016 as the best of years in the shipyard or on the waterfront, we might disagree. And, there is plenty to write about. New contracts, deliveries and designs all combine to show that the collective workboat waterfront is moving forward, with technology, the environment and replacement tonnage requirements as the main drivers.

12 Sep 2016

MN100: Tidewater Transportation and Terminals

(Photo: Tidewater Transportation and Terminals)

Nearly 85 years ago, Tidewater pioneered commercial transportation on the upper Columbia Snake River system and opened up one of the nation’s most isolated regions to global markets. Today, Tidewater Holdings is comprised of Tidewater Barge Lines, Tidewater Terminal Company, and since 2014, Tidewater Environmental Services, Incorporated. Tidewater Terminal Company works in conjunction with its Barge Lines, using key intermodal connections to railroads, highways and pipelines.

16 Jun 2016

Tidewater Christens 2 New Towboats

Photo: Tidewater Transportation and Terminals

The two newest inland river towboats in Tidewater Transportation and Terminals’ fleet, Granite Point and Ryan Point, were christened during a late afternoon ceremony Saturday, June 11 at Vancouver Landing in Vancouver, Wash. After Deacon Tim Dooley from Portland’s Holy Family Parish delivered a blessing, Patty Reed, wife of Bruce Reed, Tidewater’s Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, and Diane Laya, wife of Marc Schwartz, Tidewater’s Maintenance and Engineering Manager…

08 Apr 2016

Test Ride: Furuno's New 15X8 Series Radar

Bruce M. (Courtesy SDS Lumber Company)

Taking the Furuno 15X8 series radar out for a spin; Furuno’s newest entry has found a welcome place on inland waters. Furuno’s newest radar is now on the market. The first workboat installation of the company’s FAR-15X8 series was completed in late February and early March. Following installation, test runs were carried out on the Bruce M, a 65-foot, 1,900 Hp inland pushboat operated by SDS Lumber based out of Bingen, Wash. The vessel works the Columbia Snake River system, mainly pushing either construction or wood chip barges.

25 Jan 2016

Foss to Open Oregon Customer Service Center

Foss Maritime Company recently announced it will open a consolidated customer service center in Oregon in April 2016. The company's existing Portland office will be renovated and modernized to incorporate the best available customer service technologies, including a state-of-the-art telephony system, heightened cyber security, and enhanced dispatching and vessel tracking capabilities. "Consolidating customer service in our Columbia Snake River location will allow us to enhance both our service and our responsiveness," said Chris Wolf, Director of Customer Service at Foss. Today, Foss serves regional, national and international customers in ports along the Pacific seaboard, Hawaii and Alaska, as well as across the globe, with a service center in Washington and Oregon, and two in California.

21 Dec 2015

Vigor Delivers New Towboat to Tidewater

Granit Point (Photo: Tidewater Transportation & Terminals)

Tidewater Transportation and Terminals today marked delivery of the second of a series of three towboats, the Granite Point. The vessel, built by Portland’s Vigor, follows towboat Crown Point, which began operations along the Columbia Snake River (CSR) in May 2015. Like the Crown Point, the Granite Point is a custom-built, environmentally-friendly towboat that was specifically designed by CT Marine, Naval Architects and Marine Engineers of Edgecomb, Maine, to serve Tidewater’s customers.

01 Dec 2015

Barge-Rail Service on Upper Columbia, Snake Rivers

Container barge service is back on the upper Columbia and Snake rivers.The Up river Container Barge-Rail Shuttle will help importers and exporters in eastern Washington, Oregon and Idaho move containerized agricultural products to markets in Asia. An informal partnership including Northwest Container Service, Tidewater Barge and the ports of Morrow, Lewiston and Portland helped facilitate the return of this service. The first barge is currently loading at the Port of Lewiston this week and expected to get underway Thursday. The new service would address key issues driving up the cost of transportation in the wake of losing direct carrier service at Terminal 6 in Portland earlier this year— loss of barge service, container availability and cost of trucking to Puget Sound ports.

20 Apr 2015

Towboat Delivered to Tidewater Transportation & Terminals

Crown Point (Photo courtesy of Tidewater Transportation & Terminals)

Tidewater Transportation and Terminals, headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, has taken delivery of Crown Point, a new custom-built towboat commissioned at Portland’s Vigor Industrial. Crown Point is the first of a series of three towboats being built at Vigor for Tidewater, and will join the company’s current fleet of 16 vessels and 160 barges. Marc Schwartz, Maintenance & Engineering Manager at Tidewater, expressed, “The launching of the Crown Point, and the forthcoming Granite Point and Ryan Point vessels, marks an important step for Tidewater.

16 Apr 2014

Shipbuilding: Vigor Industrial Grows Stronger

 Frank Foti, Vigor Industrial CEO

Vigor Industrial has ballooned from a modest shipyard in Portland, Oregon, to the largest shipbuilder in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Vigor increasingly thinks big and builds big. The company’s new floating dry dock will be the largest in the United States. And Vigor wants to get even bigger. CEO and owner Frank Foti expresses an ambition to grow to twice the current size in the “next few years.” Foti, who is also chairman of the Shipbuilder’s Council of America, says he is, “striving for critical mass.

07 Mar 2014

Real Marine Highways for Real Intermodal Solutions

The Columbia/Snake River System defines shortsea shipping, and promises much, much more. Lewiston, Idaho, is perhaps best known to tourists as the turnaround for a Columbia River cruise or the jumping-off point for a trip to Hell’s Canyon, North America’s deepest gorge. For anyone transporting cargo, however, it’s known as the port farthest inland of any on the West Coast – a whopping 465 miles inland from the mouth of the Columbia River. Located close to the border between Washington and Oregon…

08 Jan 2014

Tidewater Barge Lines Selects MarineCFO Enterprise

MarineCFO, a division of VerticaLive Inc., announced today that Tidewater Barge Lines has chosen to implement the full MarineCFO Enterprise software suite, including Personnel, Operations, Maintenance and Vessel Live! Tidewater is a provider of marine transportation and terminal services on the Columbia-Snake River system in the Pacific Northwest. Stan Smith, Manager of Information Technology & Quality for Tidewater, said, “After an exhaustive review of the enterprise software options available for our industry, we chose MarineCFO because it is the most configurable product on the market. The combination of existing functionality and technology framework for implementing Tidewater-specific enhancements made the product a great choice for us.

29 Oct 2013

Foss Adds Two Tractor Tugs

Photo: Foss

Foss Maritime announced the addition of two tractor tugs to its Columbia River fleet, which will give the company more resources to serve a growing customer base at regional port facilities. The first of these 4,400-horsepower tugs will begin river operations as early as November. Captain Dustin Johnson, Regional Operations Manager, Columbia Snake River, added, "Existing grain and port facilities are experiencing new levels of business - and there are several development projects along both the Columbia and the Snake that are in various stages of approval.

24 Apr 2013

Foss Tugboats Leave Columbia River

Foss Maritime Co. will lay off its 60 workers and leave the Columbia River, OregonLive.com reported. OregonLive said the Seattle company will sell its Columbia River business to Tidewater Barge Lines, which moves grain and other cargo along the Columbia-Snake river system, pitting Tidewater against Shaver Transportation Co. in another line of business, transporting river pilots and maneuvering large cargo vessels in and out of ports. OregonLive.com

22 Jun 2012

$79m in TIGER IV Port Infrastructure Grants Awarded

After assessing more than 700 project applications equaling about $10.2 billion, the U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that 47 projects in 34 states and the District of Columbia will receive a total of $485.3 million in its fourth round of TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) infrastructure grant awards. Of the 47 capital project funding requests selected for awards, eight go directly to America’s port-related infrastructure. These eight project grants total more than $79 million, or about 16 percent of the capital grant funds available. “In his Fast Lane blog this week, Sec. LaHood reiterated the Obama administration’s ‘deep commitment’ to investing in our ports and marine highways to create jobs and keep American goods moving to markets.

14 Apr 2009

$30m for Washington State Port Security

April 8, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced that Washington state ports will receive $30.3m for port security efforts across the state this year. The funds, which will now begin to be distributed to state ports, will go toward infrastructure security improvements including chemical detectors, cameras, security gates, access controls, and training and exercises. “As we work to stabilize our economy and spur investment in Washington state, it is critically important that our ports remain secure and open for business,” Senator Murray said. The funding for these grants was included in the Fiscal Year 2009 Port Security Grant Program.