Inland Waterway Transportation News

Brazil’s waterways have enormous potential for commercial transport, but are still underused and inefficient in the country’s 12 river basins, according to Brazil’s National Transport Confederation (CNT). Of the 63,000 kilometers (km) that could potentially be used for inland navigation, only 19,500 km (30.9%) of the existing network is currently used commercially for cargo and passenger transport, leaving more than two-thirds unused.However, despite wasted opportunities, Brazilian rivers have registered an increase in transported volume in recent years…

Indian classification society, The Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass), continues to be instrumental in facilitating the aims and objectives of the Government’s Make in India initiative, lending its support this week in Mumbai to the Maritime India Summit. “We are active not only in research and development and training for the national maritime industry, but also in formulating numerous Rules & Regulations for the construction and classification of a great many vessel and structure types,” confirmed Mr Arun Sharma, Chairman and Managing Director of IRClass, “including oceangoing tankers and bulk carriers, coastal & inland waterway transportation, and offshore superstructures.

MTU, the specialist for propulsion and power systems for ships and commercial marine equipment, has been selected by Memphis-based Southern Towing Company to power six inland waterway towboats. Four new and two existing vessels will be outfitted with a total of twelve Series 4000 Ironmen engines in 8- and 12-cylinder configurations. Engines from the Rolls-Royce Power Systems subsidiary MTU were selected. “Southern Towing’s investment in the Series 4000 represents our belief that…

In his speech at the LNG Export & Export & Infrastructure Conference Federal Maritime Commissioner Doyle gives insights on the consequences of the adoption of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a marine fuel in the United States. I am a Commissioner with the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission. The Federal Maritime Commission is an independent regulatory agency responsible for regulating the nation’s international ocean transportation for the benefit of exporters, importers, and the American consumer. I should emphasize that my thoughts and comments here are mine and mine alone – they do not reflect the position of the Commission, and they should not be construed to represent the positions of any of my fellow Commissioners.

Vessel tracking and asset/document management software, used by hundreds of U.S. commercial workboat and fishing customers,  is now available internationally for integration into existing partner applications. McMurdo Group, a company in end-to-end search and rescue (SAR) and maritime domain awareness (MDA) solutions, has announced that its fleet management software platform is now available worldwide for partners to integrate into their existing maritime applications and solutions. The McMurdo Group software platform, the most widely used vessel tracking and fleet management software in the U.S. commercial maritime market, will be demonstrated at the V-Tracks Vessel Tracking and Monitoring Conference in London (Radisson Blu Portman Hotel) February 27-28.

McMurdo Group was launched today as a new global company in end-to-end search and rescue (SAR) and maritime domain awareness (MDA) solutions. Comprised of Orolia’s former Positioning, Tracking and Monitoring Division, McMurdo Group combines Boatracs, Kannad, McMurdo and Techno-Sciences, Inc. into the industry’s first, single-vendor provider of end-to-end lifesaving and tracking solutions including distress beacons, satellite connectivity infrastructure, monitoring/positioning software and emergency response management. “The formation of McMurdo Group is far more just than a corporate realignment. It is an opportunity to lead, simplify and educate a fragmented…

Western Marine is building two 750-passenger vessels, the first passenger ships of this capacity by a local Bangladeshi shipbuilder. The keel-laying for the ships which will be operated by BIWTC on the inland route of Dhaka to Barisal was celebrated in the shipyard located in Patiya. The Shipping Minister, Mr. Shajahan Khan (MP) was the Chief Guest in the ceremony. As Special Guests Mr. Syed Monjurul Islam, Secretary In-Charge for Shipping Ministry; and Mr. Mojibor Rahman, Chairman of BIWTC were present in the occasion. These ships will be serving the passengers in one of busiest river route in Bangladesh, Dhaka to Barisal. New building of these ships is an initiative by the government to enhance the inland waterway transportation system of Bangladesh.

With consumers increasing their spending as the economy recovers, and manufacturers likewise boosting their production, demand for inland water transportation will get a boost. Additionally, rising fuel costs will lead to operators earning more money from fuel surcharges. However, the industry will experience some turbulence from rail transport providers, which are often seen as cheaper, faster and more environmentally friendly. For these reasons, industry research firm IBISWorld has added a report on the Inland Water Transportation industry to its growing industry report collection. The Inland Water Transportation industry dipped as the economy sank into recession. Over the past couple of years, consumers have decreased spending, and manufacturing industries have decreased production.

Count Berg Propulsion as the latest marine equipment manufacturer to join the rush to Brazil, as the company reportedly has secured its first order in Brazil six months after opening its dedicated sales office in Rio de Janeiro. Three single screw bunker vessels ordered through shipyard Renave will be equipped with controllable pitch propellers and fixed pitch tunnel thrusters from Berg. On completion, the vessels will be delivered to client Delima and time chartered to Brazilian energy major Petrobras. Featuring an overall length of 71.6m, a molded breadth of 15m and a draft of 4.25m, these 2500 dwt vessels are destined to service Petrobras requirements for inland waterway transportation in Brazil when they are delivered in 2014.

A new emissions monitoring system being developed by a Norfolk, Va. systems engineering firm will allow vessels worldwide to continuously monitor pollutants and readily report findings to regulatory agencies and inspectors. The patent-pending Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS), developed by W R Systems, Ltd. (WRSystems), is the first technology integration of its kind. A successful land-based test of the CEMS prototype was performed in August 2009. Stringent new regulations regarding vessel emissions are forthcoming from US and worldwide governments and maritime organizations. WRSystems developed the new technology to help the maritime industry meet these new regulations and reduce their carbon footprint.

For the third year running MarineNews was able to tap the minds of six prominent industry leaders in an attempt to deliver exclusive insights as to the direction of the workboat and shallow draft market for the coming years. • Al Anderson, Vice President of Government and Public Affairs, CHS Inc. • Rick Calhoun, President and Chairman, Cargill Marine and Terminal, Inc. • Steve Golding, President, Golding Barge Line, Inc. • Paul E. Mauer, President, Trinity Marine Products, Inc. MN: What is the most important message about the inland waterways industry that needs to be conveyed to the media and policymakers? Anderson: The most important…

Unless things change dramatically, I am writing as the last Deputy Administrator of the Maritime Administration (MarAd). At least the MarAd we have known, sometimes loved, but always needed for the last 50 years. As I look at the Administration's budget proposals to transfer management of the Maritime Security Program (MSP) to the Department of Defense (DOD) and eliminate funding for the Title XI shipbuilding loan guarantee program, I cannot help but conclude that MarAd's days are numbered as a freestanding federal agency. This is not simply melodramatic doom saying from a former bureaucrat whose first credo in life is perpetuation of the species (or in this case the agency).