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Sean Connaughton News

20 Jun 2019

SHORTSEA CRANE OPERATIONS: Lifting a Port to Prosperity

A Liebherr LHM 420 Crane is at the heart of a rapidly expanding shortsea shipping success story. Reliability is the key for a port that’s turned the corner, with nowhere to go but ‘up.’Way back in January of 1996, I moved to Richmond, Virginia from Houston, Texas. Still very much in the maritime business as a cargo surveyor and ship expeditor, the Port of Richmond intrigued me, every time I drove past it on I-95. Eventually, I got a tour of the struggling port, courtesy of then port director and retired USCG Captain Marty Moynihan. Moynihan, an energetic executive, was keen to expand the port’s horizons.Back then, as much as half of the port’s meager business was tobacco shipping to and from Philip Morris, just across the street.

23 Jun 2015

The ‘Greening’ of America’s Marine Highways

Ingram Barge Company sees two kinds of green in their newest venture on the inland rivers. In late March, the Paducah-McCracken County Riverport Authority and Ingram Barge Company announced plans to assess the viability of Intermodal River Transportation, utilizing the largest flat-top crane in North America and Ingram’s towboats and barges. On March 27th, that plan came to life as the Paducah Riverport Authority’s 200-ton crane lifted 54 empty containers and stacked them neatly on an Ingram-owned barge. An Ingram towboat then transported the container laden barge to the port of St. Louis and then back to Paducah for unloading. The highly successful trial run tested the logistics of moving the intermodal containers via barge in the nation’s heartland.

26 May 2015

Snarled in Traffic, Intermodal Answers Include the Water

It was just last month that the (challenged) Keefe family packed up the SUV and set out for a little bit of spring break fun, mixed in with a college visit for my son, who will be a senior in high school next Fall. The decision to drive was, in part, an economy move but also made sense due to the relatively last minute nature of our plans. As it turned out, the trip to Florida and back from Charlotte, North Carolina, was without a doubt, the worst part of an otherwise pleasant week. The GPS tells us that the one-way trip should take approximately 9-1/2 hours but we never got that number under 12 hours. Along the way, the reasons why quickly become transparent.

27 Feb 2014

Insights: Outgoing Transportation Sec. Connaughton

Until January of this year, Sean Connaughton oversaw seven state agencies with more than 9,700 employees and combined annual budgets of $5 billion. Connaughton is probably better known to MarineNews readers as the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administrator during the second Bush Administration. As U.S. Maritime Administrator, he was responsible for the daily management of that agency and its promotional programs for the marine transportation industry. This included advising and assisting the Secretary of Transportation on commercial maritime matters…

27 Feb 2014

From the Editor's Desk

Now clear of the holidays and into an already exciting 2014 on the waterfront, we find ourselves plowing ahead with the proverbial bone in our teeth. That’s because, beyond my questionable nautical metaphor, there are big things happening for the domestic workboat industry in the coming months. As you dig deeper into this issue of MarineNews, you will soon see that much of that revolves around the United States Coast Guard. As you do, look also look for the pace of regulatory rulemaking, boatbuilding and mariner credentialing to increase exponentially. While some industry stakeholders tend to view the Coast Guard as the bane of their compliance battles on so many fronts, the outreach of the nation’s first line of defense for homeland security are much more diverse than that.

26 Jun 2013

Shortsea Shipping: Poised for a Comeback

The idea that cargo, moved from deep draft ports to smaller, niche destinations, can be accomplished without trucks is something that has taken a backseat over the past five years. That’s because, absent the leadership necessary in Washington to move the viable concept forward, it has fallen off the intermodal Radar, replaced with flashy ideas for high speed commuter trains and further obscured by the pouring of billions of dollars of asphalt onto the nation’s highways. Shortsea shipping, however, is alive and well. In the Commonwealth of Virginia – and elsewhere – it is getting a jumpstart that is already yielding dividends. Sean T. Connaughton, Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia and the former U.S.

26 Sep 2012

Maitland Pinpoints Global Shipping's Woes, Solutions

Clay Maitland is a ubiquitous figure in the global shipping circuit, never shy to share his accrued maritime experience of more than 40 years, ask the tough questions or supply the blunt opinion. Set to celebrate his 70th birthday later this year but not slowing a step, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News caught up with Maitland in his Manhattan office late last month. Most anyone who has seen Clay Maitland address a crowd; watched him grill a conference panel; or taken him one-on-one in conversation to discuss some nuance of the industry…

25 Jun 2012

INSIGHTS: Sean T. Connaughton

Sean Connaughton, Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Sean Connaughton, Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia, oversees seven state agencies with more than 9,700 employees and combined annual budgets of $5 billion. But this transportation professional is perhaps best known to MarineNews readers as the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administrator during the second Bush Administration. As U.S. Maritime Administrator, he was responsible for the daily management of that agency and its promotional programs for the marine transportation industry.

03 Oct 2011

Maersk Celebrates Name Giving of MAERSK PEARY

Maersk Peary

Maersk Line, Limited (MLL) and its guests celebrated the naming of its fourth U.S. flag tanker, the MAERSK PEARY, last Friday at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in Norfolk. The freshly painted, 591-foot ship sat pier-side in downtown Norfolk and was adorned with red, white and blue bunting as distinguished guests, customers, partners, and colleagues welcomed the vessel into MLL’s U.S. flag fleet. The vessel is ice-classed and is aptly named after Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary, famous for his excursions to the North Pole.

30 Jan 2008

Ports Must be Ready for Expanded Panama Canal

Panamanian Ambassador to the U.S. Federico Humbert addresses workshop attendees. Briefing a crowd of nearly 200 U.S. port and shipping officials at a Panama Canal expansion workshop last week in Tampa, FL, Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Vice President of Research and Market Analysis Rodolfo Sabonge highlighted the Canal project’s progress and its effect on global trade. The forum also emphasized the benefits and importance of U.S. port development in meeting the anticipated demands of an expanded waterway. Co-sponsored by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) and the U.S.

19 Nov 2001

Public Meeting On Tank Level Or Pressure Monitoring Devices

On November 6, the United States Coast Guard held a public meeting in Washington, D.C. to review proposals regarding the installation of devices to monitor cargo levels aboard tank vessels. The issue is the last fragment of unfinished regulatory business compelled by the passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 ("OPA 90"). When OPA 90 was enacted, the U.S. yet, might presage an incipient structural failure. With an abundance of goodwill and a scarcity of technical knowledge, the Congress enacted Section 4110 of OPA and directed the Coast Guard to sort out the details on technical standards and use requirements for devices that would monitor tank pressures and/or cargo levels. These measures were supposed to have been put into effect by 1991.

08 Nov 2007

Andrasick, Arntzen and Reinhart Receive AOTOS Awards

(L to R): Arntzen,Reinhart and Andrasick. United Seamen's Service (USS) to James S. Shipholding Group, Inc. and John F. Line, Limited. Towers. Vice Admiral Vivien S. Crea, USCG, Vice Commandant of the U.S. presented James Andrasick his award. The Honorable Sean Connaughton, U.S. Maritime Administrator, presented the award to Morten Arntzen. Atlantic, Gulf Lakes and Inland Water/NMU, AFL-CIO, presented John Reinhart his award. 200 maritime management, labor, and government officials. the event benefit USS community services for the U.S. seafarers of the world. in a ceremony narrated by Mr. Connaughton. represent the very best of the U.S.-flag industry. Mr. Navigation Company, Inc. on July 18, 2003. chief financial officer and treasurer. an interim basis. He is a graduate of the U.S.

18 Oct 2007

House Hearing on Mariner Education, Work Force

The Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure conducted an oversight hearing on Mariner Education and Work Force. As explained in the Summary of Subject Matter, the focus of the hearing was growing shortage of mariners and the challenges facing the maritime work force. Subcommittee Chair Elijah Cummings (D-MD) expressed concern that the maritime industry is no longer attractive for new entrants. Committee Chair James Oberstar (D-MN) discussed the importance of timely and relevant training. Rear Admiral Joel Whitehead, USCG, explained the role of the International Convention on Standards of Training…

30 Jul 2007

Woodside Natural Gas Announces MarAd Agreement

Woodside Natural Gas announced a commitment to U.S. staffing and flagging of its regasification ships for the proposed OceanWay natural gas project. This action was officially conveyed by Steve Larson, President of Woodside Natural Gas, to Sean Connaughton, Administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration. OceanWay, a proposed project to provide an alternative source of much-needed natural gas to California, will be one of the cleanest, safest and most secure natural gas delivery systems in the world. OceanWay will use a ship and buoy system to deliver gas to California, unloading at two buoys more than 28 miles offshore, southwest of the Los Angeles Hyperion sewage treatment plant, and connecting into the existing gas network via undersea pipelines.

28 Jun 2007

Connaughton to Inspect Ships Docked in Suisun Bay

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the head of the Marad, Administrator Sean Connaughton will be in the Bay Area to take a look at the mothball fleet docked in Suisun Bay. The visit by Administrator Sean Connaughton comes as the agency seeks to scrap more than half the fleet. MarAd wants to tow the ships out of Suisun Bay to a scrapping facility in Texas. Before the ships are allowed to be moved, they have to have their hulls cleaned to get rid of intrusive marine organisms. But the Coast Guard halted the ship disposal plan earlier this year when it learned the ships were being cleaned in San Francisco Bay. According to water officials, cleaning the ships in the bay without proper protection of maritime life violates the National Invasive Species Act.

21 Mar 2007

MEBA Signs LNG Crewing Agreement with Excelerate Energy

natural gas (LNG) carriers. congressional and administrative oversight over the last few years. address this issue. securing LNG tankers. well, working with Excelerate and other LNG operators. certifications for loading and discharging LNG. officers will join Excelerate's international fleet of LNG vessels.

07 Sep 2006

Connaughton Sworn in as Maritime Administrator

The Department of Transportation announced that Sean Connaughton was sworn in as Maritime Administrator.

28 Nov 2006

MarAd Sells Tanker to New Orleans Firm

The Maritime Administration announced that it has sold the obsolete vessel Lexington for to Southern Scrap Material Corporation of New Orleans, La. The vessel, a tanker, was built in 1958 and is currently located in the Beaumont Reserve Fleet in Texas. Steel and other materials from the ship will be recycled. Southern Scrap Material purchased two other vessels from the Maritime Administration in May. “This is a good bargain for the American taxpayer and helps create jobs in New Orleans,” said Maritime Administrator Sean Connaughton. The Maritime Administration keeps ships in the National Defense Reserve Fleet sites to support Armed Forces movements and to respond to national emergencies.

24 Aug 2006

Maritime Administrator To Address USMMA Alumni Foundation

United States Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao and Sean Connaughton, the new U. S. Maritime Administrator, will be guest speakers at the United States Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Foundation dinner in New York on Wednesday, September 27 honoring America's Deep-Sea Domestic fleet. The gala dinner will benefit the American Merchant Marine Museum located on the Academy's campus in Kings Point, Long Island. Secretary Chao, whose career has spanned international transportation issues on many levels, will be the keynote speaker and Mr. Connaughton, a 1983 graduate of the Academy who also served in the U. S. Coast Guard, will give a special address at his first New York-area public engagement.

28 Jul 2006

Connaughton Gets Hearing for MarAd Post

The Senate Commerce Committee is not expecting any problems approving the nomination of Prince William Board of Supervisors Chairman Sean Connaughton to lead the U.S. Maritime Administration. At a confirmation hearing, Connaughton said he would focus on relieving congestion of the nation's waterways, maritime and port development, national security and environmental protection. Virginia Senators John Warner and George Allen and Congressman Tom Davis spoke in support of Connaughton. Allen said Connaughton, a maritime and environmental lawyer with a Washington firm, was particularly well-qualified for the position. President Bush nominated Connaughton for the post last month. Connaughton previously served as a senior transportation associate for the American Petroleum Institute.

26 Jul 2006

Confirmation Hearing for Maritime Administrator

On July 27, the Senate Commerce Committe will hold a full Committee hearing to consider the following nominations: Charles Nottingham to be a Member of the Surface Transportation Board; Robert Sumwalt to be a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board; Nathaniel Wienecke to be Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, Department of Commerce; Jay Cohen to be Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland Security; and Sean Connaughton to be Administrator of the Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation. (Source: http://commerce.senate.gov)