Marcy Kaptur News

The Interlake Steamship Company held a christening ceremony in Cleveland on Thursday for its new vessel, Mark W. Barker, the first U.S.-flagged freighter built on the Great lakes in nearly four decades.“This is truly a historic celebration for our company and for the United States maritime industry as we proudly christen the newest vessel to join the U.S. flag fleet on the Great Lakes and our first new build in 41 years,” said Mark W. Barker, President of The Interlake Steamship Company and the vessel’s namesake.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District awarded a $4,565,000 contract to Michigan-based Ryba Marine Construction Company on May 17 to conduct dredging of the federal navigation channel in Toledo Harbor and the Maumee River.Dredging of harbors like Toledo’s and rivers like the Maumee ensures accessible depths for large vessels, the continued flow of commodities across the Great Lakes, and the economic viability of United States waterways.“The heavy manufacturing and maritime transportation sectors are at the heart of Northwest Ohio’s economy.

New legislation introduced in Congress aims to create a federal entity dedicated exclusively to advancing solutions to the challenges faced by the eight states of Great Lakes region.Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin together, contain a large core of the United States’ commercial and defense industrial base, as well as the largest freshwater system anywhere on Earth, but lawmakers say the Great Lakes region lacks the support present in other regions where the federal government has an array of commissions…

The Biden administration on Friday identified a Russian ship and a company it believes are helping to build the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, but the entities had already been sanctioned by the Trump administration and the project's opponents in Congress said the move would do little to halt work on it.The State Department said in a report to Congress that the Russian ship, the Fortuna, and its owner, KVT-RUS, had been designated, a process that starts new sanctions, two lawmakers said.Both entities had been sanctioned by former President Donald Trump on his last full day in office last month for helping to build the natural gas pipeline to bring Russian gas to Europe via Germany."Simply put…

Several U.S. Representatives on Wednesday raised pressure on the State Department to share plans on potential sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline Russia is racing to finish to take fuel to Europe."If completed, Nord Stream 2 would enable the Putin regime to further weaponize Russia's energy resources to exert political pressure throughout Europe," two Republicans including Michael McCaul, and two Democrats including Marcy Kaptur, wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.U.S. representatives and senators have said that the Biden administration has missed a deadline of Feb. 16 to issue Congress a report required by recently passed law on companies helping Russia's state energy company Gazprom lay pipeline…

According to a new study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on behalf of Transportation Institute (TI), the Jones Act continues to fuel a strong maritime industry throughout the Great Lakes region, where the PwC report shows 123,670 Jones Act-related jobs – or 20% of the national total – are based.Between 2011 and 2016, maritime employment in the region increased by 25,400 jobs. Overall, the industry generates $30 billion of economic activity and $8.45 billion in worker income in the eight Great Lakes states.“With our Great Lakes and rich maritime history, it’s no surprise this industry is an important part of Michigan’s economy,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).

Ohio Congressman David Joyce (R) has been named a 2016 Great Lakes Legislator of the Year by the largest labor/management coalition representing shipping on America’s Fourth Sea Coast. Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) annually presents the award to legislators who have promoted shipping on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. Rep. Joyce received his award at a ceremony in Washington on April 12. “Rep. Joyce’s deep appreciation for Great Lakes shipping stems from having two major ports in his district, Ashtabula and Conneaut,” said Thomas Curelli, President of GLMTF in 2016. “Rep.

Today the House Appropriations Committee, led by Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY), approved by unanimous voice vote the FY ’16 Energy & Water Development (E&WD) and Related Agencies appropriations bill, significantly increasing funding in Fiscal Year 2016 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works Program. The overall size of the Corps’ Civil Works mission portion of the bill is $5.597 billion and more than restores cuts to the program as recommended by the Administration, adding $864.75 million to the Administration request and increasing the FY 2015 appropriated amount for the Corps by $142.25 million. The bill increases the President’s proposed Construction account funding level by 39.9% to $1.631 billion.

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee, led by Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY), today approved by unanimous voice vote the FY ’16 Energy & Water Development (E&WD) and Related Agencies appropriations bill, increasing funding in Fiscal Year 2016 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works Program. WCI President Michael J. Toohey expressed thanks to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers and Ranking Member Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), and House Energy & Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Mike Simpson (R-ID) and Ranking Member Marcy Kaptur (D-OH).

WCI today praised the leadership of House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) and Energy & Water Development (E&WD) Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Mike Simpson (R-ID) that led to unanimous approval of a bill that will significantly increase funding in FY 2016 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works Program. The FY ’16 E&WD and Related Agencies appropriations bill, marked up today in the E&WD Subcommittee, was approved by unanimous voice vote with no amendments. It will head to the full Appropriations Committee next week. The overall size of the Corps’ Civil Works mission portion of the bill is $5.597 billion and more than restores cuts to the program as recommended by the Administration…

Great Lakes legislators played a key role in yesterday’s vote in the House of Representatives to increase the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ national budget by nearly $58 million. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), along with Rep. Janice Hahn (D-Calif.), authored the amendment to the House’s FY15 Energy & Water Appropriations bill and Representatives Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Dan Benishek (R-Mich.) and Rick Nolan (D-Minn.) took the floor to support the measure. The additional funds will…

The Maritime Academy of Toledo Foundation wrapped up a successful Admiral’s Ball Weekend on Saturday, April 12, with the fourth Annual Admiral’s Ball and Charity Auction. More than 130 people attended the event which brought in $22,000 for the educational needs for cadets at the school. The theme for this year’s event was “Chart Their Course for Success With Us”. It was sponsored by The Toledo Blade, Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, Dickenson Wright PLLC, Genoa Bank, IBEW, Local 8, as well as Ed Conn and Saga Schoffner.

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, Representative of Northern Ohio’s Ninth Congressional District, was the Sponsor and Principal Speaker for the naming ceremony for the tugboat HANDY-THREE at Great Lakes Shipyard. “She is here today because of her sponsorship and commitment to small shipyards,” remarked Ron Rasmus, President, The Great Lakes Group. Kaptur has championed the passage and funding of the Assistance to Small Shipyards Grant Program which makes grants for capital and related improvements for qualified small shipyard facilities to foster efficiency…

A newly constructed tugboat, HANDY-THREE, is to be ceremoniously named at Great Lakes Shipyard, Cleveland, Ohio, on Wednesday, May 2, 2012. The tugboat has been sold to Puerto Rico Towing & Barge Co. of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, Representative of Northern Ohio’s Ninth Congressional District, will be the Sponsor and Principal Speaker for the tugboat HANDY-THREE. The vessel is the third of a class of Handy Size tugboats designed by Jensen Maritime Consultants, Seattle, Washington.

Hornbeck Offshore Transportation has contracted with Manitowoc Co. to build a 110,000-barrel, double hull tank barge due for delivery in one year, with an option to purchase three additional units within the next year. The contract will be fulfilled through Manitowoc's Toledo ShipRepair Co. "this contract marks the first new-construction project for the Toledo facility in approximately 15 years," said Dennis McCloskey, president of Manitowoc's Marine Group. The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority has agreed to provide $7.5 million for the facility upgrade, following the commitment by Manitowoc to pursue additional new construction business for the facility.

Hornbeck Offshore Transportation has contracted with Manitowoc Co. to build a 110,000-barrel, double hull tank barge due for delivery in one year, with an option to purchase three additional units within the next year. The contract will be fulfilled through Manitowoc's Toledo ShipRepair Co. "This contract marks the first new-construction project for the Toledo facility in approximately 15 years," said Dennis McCloskey, president of Manitowoc's Marine Group. To make this facility better suited for shipbuilding work, Manitowoc and the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority have agreed to expand the shipyard and build a covered dry dock." The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority has agreed to provide $7.5 million for the facility upgrade…