Steel Coils News

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted the most notable newbuilds delivered in 2022. From sturdy and nimble workboats, to the first new Jones Act laker in a generation, each vessel on display showcases the industry’s engineering prowess and technological ingenuity, with the focus on improving efficiency in operations. The maritime industry has no shortage of challenges to overcome, and each of Marine News’ top vessels will, in one way or another, aid efforts to tackle them.Mark W.

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.

New federal money promises dramatic impacts throughout the United States’ inland waterways system in 2022 and beyond. This report focuses on America’s central rivers; the Western rivers will be covered in a future report. These central rivers reach 11,000 miles, from Pennsylvania to Florida and from Texas to South Dakota.Consider the money within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “Civil Works Program Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), 2022 Construction Spend Plan.”In Arkansas…

As 2022 appears on the not-so-distant horizon, we asked inland waterways executives to reflect on the major issues impacting their industry. Just how those issues evolve – and whether they present as challenges or opportunities – is, of course, unknown. Answers to some future questions will be relatively straightforward, confidently based on industry knowledge and experience. Other outcomes remain hazier, and next steps could be influenced by forces and players completely removed from the business of barges…

Australia's Port of Newcastle is expanding its project cargo, general cargo and container handling capability with a $28.4-million investment in two Liebherr LHM 550 mobile harbor cranes and associated infrastructure at the Port’s Mayfield 4 berth.Port of Newcastle’s Executive Manager Trade & Business Development, Paul Brown, said the mobile harbor cranes will increase efficiency at the Port and provide an enhanced alternative for customers currently moving both oversized equipment…

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) discharged 300 steel coils on June 10, 2021, to barge at Coastal Cargo breakbulk and heavy-lift terminal at the Louisiana Ave. Complex that were transported to the barge from the SK Shipping Star Challenger and made their way upriver to be off-loaded at the Port of Caddo-Bossier in Shreveport.“This is a great example of two Louisiana ports coming together to facilitate commerce in the State and moving cargo on the Mississippi River,” said Brandy D. Christian President and CEO of the Port of New Orleans and CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad.

U.S. Great Lakes ports and the St. Lawrence Seaway have experienced a rise in cargo shipments to feed domestic construction and manufacturing activity and global export demand, according to the latest June figures.The Great Lakes-Seaway System serves a region that includes eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, and is seen as a marine highway that extends 2,300 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, supporting more than 237,868 jobs and $35 billion in economic activity.If the region were a country…

Grappling with slowed business levels caused by the ongoing pandemic, Arkansas' Port of Little Rock reports September was its best month since April of this year.Activity levels at the port's docks increased with 29 barges worked; 21 at the slackwater dock and eight at the river dock. More than 44,000 net tons of cargo was handled including the following commodities: aluminum ingots, sows, and tee bars; nepheline syenite, scrap, steel coils, wetcake and wire rod coils.Year-to-date the docks have worked 286 barges with 434,000 net tons loaded or unloaded to barge.

A  recently completed a $2 million capital improvement project aims to attract more cargo to one of the nation’s largest inland ports.Situated 153 miles from the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, the Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon connects the Ohio River Valley region’s agriculture, coal and manufacturing industries to the rest of the world via year-round access to the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes through the inland waterways system.Each year, more than 3,600 barges…

Tonnage on river increases 60 percent from 2018Through the first two months of 2019, the Port of Little Rock and its stevedorer, LSI, have seen a year-to-year increase of 33 barges, a 62% increase in activity. Additionally, tonnage is up 49,000 tons year-to-year (60%) with a total of 130,400 tons. Commodities handled during the month included aluminum ingots and tee bars, bauxite, nepheline syenite, rock and sand, scrap, steel coils, wetcake and wire rod coils. LSI expects barge activity to continue to be very strong over the next several months.Activity on the docks remained strong for February with a total of 47 barges worked- 21 more than February 2018. The 72,000 tons of cargo loaded and unloaded from barges during the month surpassed February 2018 by 80 percent.

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, launches a new range of equipment designed to offer customers in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region a value-based choice of the high quality, reliable equipment that Kalmar is known for. Based on Kalmar's proven G-generation platform, the Essential range includes reachstackers, empty container handlers and forklifts. In addition, Kalmar introduces a new TL2 terminal tractor for the APAC customers. The range will be introduced during the Kalmar Sales and Dealer Conference in Hong Kong on 28-29 November. The Essential range of reachstackers (DRU450-570) comprises four models, with lifting capacities ranging from 45 to 57 tonnes.

Total barge tonnage through the Port of Little Rock in August was 57,000 net tons. Dock activities continue to compare favorably to calendar year 2015 as Logistic Services, Inc. has handled 347 barges during the first half of 2016 year and 560,000 net tons of various commodities have moved across the docks at the Port of Little Rock. Break bulk commodities accounted for just over 50% of the total river tonnage for August. Cargoes handled across the docks included potash, rock, wetcake, bauxite, granite fines, wire rod coils, scrap metal, pipe and steel coils. The US Army Corps of Engineers reports that 921,119 tons of commodities moved through the McClellan-Kerr Navigation System in August 2016.

Total barge tonnage through the Port of Little Rock in May was 66,000 net tons. Dock activities continue to compare favorably to calendar year 2015. Logistic Services, Inc. has handled 274 barges during the first half of 2016 year and 410,000 net tons of various commodities have moved across the docks at the Port of Little Rock. Bulk commodities outpaced break-bulk cargo accounting for 55% of the tonnage handled across the docks. Cargoes handled across the docks included DAP, sulfate, triple phosphate, urea, rock, wetcake, bauxite, granite fines, wire rod coils, scrap, stainless scrap, steel coils and pipe. The US Army Corps of Engineers reports that 979,684 tons of commodities moved through the McClellan-Kerr Navigation System in June 2016.

The Port of Little Rock has reported 73,000 net tons of total barge tonnage in May. Dock activities compared favorably over the previous year with Logistic Services, Inc. (LSI) handling 228 barges during the first five months of the year. 350,000 net tons of various commodities moved across the docks at the port. Cargoes handled across the docks included potash, sulfate, triple phosphate, urea, rock and sand, wetcake, bauxite, lightweight aggregate, wire rod coils, aluminum ingots, aluminum tee and sows, scrap and steel coils.

International lifting and transport specialist Mammoet used 5t capacity automatic hooks from Elebia to keep riggers at safe distance and speed-up discharge of 1,000 industrial-sized ‘big bags’ from a Panamax ship at a port in Westdorpe, Holland in January. Mammoet, which has its own multi-purpose terminal further north at the mouth of the Ghent Canal in Terneuzen, will unload approximately 30,000t of bulk from the vessel every six weeks, as freight business continues to sprawl away from larger Antwerp ports further east.

While July Seaway traffic fluctuated across the various categories, U.S. ports handled a wide range of cargoes in July. “It was a solid month for our U.S. Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System ports with more ships entering the Seaway System with aluminum, iron ore and salt,” said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. Also notable was the increase in containers to the Ports of Detroit and Cleveland, wind turbines to the Port of Monroe and outbound shipments of grain from Duluth. “Short sea shipping is alive and well at the Port of Toledo,” said Joe Cappel, Vice President of Business Development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.

Because of demand, the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority (CCPA) is doubling the frequency of its service between Port of Cleveland and the Port of Antwerp this year. A report in AP says, so far this shipping season, not only have the number of calls increased, but so has the amount of cargo. It has tripled since last year. It was a novel concept when the CCPA came up with the idea last year. Local businesses could have their products loaded on a ship in the Port of Cleveland and send them directly to Europe. It has been smooth sailing for the Cleveland-Europe Express (CEE). The CEE handles an assortment of containerized cargo including scrap metal, foodstuffs, retail goods, and even machinery.

The arrival of the 655-foot bulk carrier M/V Irma at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor signals the official opening of the port’s international shipping season. Port officials welcomed 2015's first ocean vessel on Monday with a ceremony presenting the Ports of Indiana "Steel Stein" to the ship's captain. "Our port is open year-round handling Great Lakes ships and river barges, but the first ocean vessel of the year signifies the opening of Northwest Indiana's gateway to the world," said Port Director Rick Heimann.

The Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville handled over 2.4 million tons of cargo in 2014, up 48 percent from the previous year. This was the first time annual shipments exceeded two million tons in the port's 29-year history. The 2014 total was 464,000 tons higher than the previous record set in 2006. Another outstanding harvest in 2014 helped push grain tonnage to its highest volume ever breaking the previous record set in 1993. Steel and salt shipments also set all-time records, up 72 percent and 51 percent from 2013, respectively. For the year, the port handled approximately 1,300 barges, 197,000 trucks and 18,000 railcars. "These robust year-end numbers illustrate the impact our port companies have on the region's economy," said Ports of Indiana CEO Rich Cooper.

The St. Lawrence Seaway reported that year-to-date cargo shipments of more than 24 million metric tons moved through the system for the period March 28 to September 30 – an increase of nearly 5 percent over September 2013. U.S. grain continued its upward trend posting a 14.6 percent increase over the same time last year. “Cargo tonnage moved through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System during the month of September continues to be robust and reflects positively on the economy and the shipping industry,” said Administrator Betty Sutton of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

Western Baltija Shipbuilding - a part of Western Shipyard which in its turn belongs to the biggest Estonian concern BLRT Grupp has finished a turnkey project and delivered a multi-purpose cargo vessel Anetta. According to Fjodor Berman, the Chairman of the Board of BLRT Grupp, building vessels from scratch, starting from the elaboration of a vessel’s concept and ending with its launching, has been the ultimate goal of the concern all these years. Multi-purpose cargo vessel Anetta is the second such purpose turnkey delivery of new build vessel for Western Baltija Shipbuilding. The vessel was constructed for the transportation of bulk and bale cargo, timber, grain, and steel coils.

While the 2013 shipping season saw overall fluctuating cargo figures, U.S. ports on the Great Lakes have continued to outperform their initial projections. The St. Lawrence Seaway reported that year-to-date total cargo shipments for the period March 22 to November 30 were 33 million metric tons, down 6% over the same period in 2012. "The shipping industry in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System relied heavily on our terminal operators and longshoremen this month as they loaded and unloaded ships full of steel…

The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor celebrates the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway 2013 international shipping season with the recent arrival of two vessels. On March 22, the St. Lawrence Seaway opened its locks for ocean vessels from around the world to enter the Great Lakes and deliver cargo to U.S. and Canadian ports for the 55th annual international shipping season. The 2,340-mile deep draft waterway is open to ocean vessels from mid-March through December, connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the heart of North America.