Transportation Facility News

The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), a marine cargo operating partnership of the ports of Tacoma and Seattle, is now accepting proposals for Terminal 46, a 50-acre deep-water marine terminal.The port authority based in the Puget Sound region of the United States said that the successful proposal will align with and support our goal of growing cargo volumes and creating family-wage jobs in the Puget Sound region, while diversifying the gateway’s overall cargo portfolio.Strategically located on the Seattle waterfront with convenient access to major road and rail infrastructure, this property is uniquely suited for water-dependent uses including marine cargo operations…

P3: An alternative to tolls or lockage fees in public-private partnerships for inland waterways. Within the generally sorry state of the U.S. inland waterways infrastructure, there are some locations where conditions are particularly dire. Among those in this latter situation are several locks and dams on the Illinois River, including the La Grange Lock and Dam and the Peoria Lock and Dam, both of which were completed in 1939. Both of them are on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, which is a dubious distinction for a major transportation facility of the twenty-first century.

Orion Marine Group, Inc. headquartered in Houston, Texas, announce award of a contract which is worth approximately US$14-million. The contract is for the design and construction of offshore mooring facilities for a liquids terminal in the Caribbean. The project is expected to commence in the 4th quarter and to last approximately 12 months. Orion Marine Group, Inc. provides a broad range of marine construction and specialty services on, over and under the water along the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic Seaboard, the West Coast and the Caribbean Basin and acts as a single source turn-key solution for its customers' marine contracting needs.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced the award of a $12 million contract to BearingPoint, Inc. to begin the Prototype Phase of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC). This is the third phase in developing a program to improve security at seaports, airports, rail, pipeline, trucking and mass transit facilities by creating a nationwide credential that will prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to secure areas. "The TWIC program is a win-win for transportation workers and for the security of our homeland," said Rear Adm. David M. Stone, USN (Ret.), Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for TSA.

The USCG has honored AWO members Crowley Marine Services, Inc. and Southern Towing Company with the William M. Benkert Award for excellence in marine environmental protection. Benkert Awards for the year 2000 competition were presented in four categories: large and small vessel operating companies, and large and small marine facility operators. AWO member Crowley Marine Services, Inc., headquartered in Seattle, won the large vessel category. AWO member Southern Towing Company, based in Memphis, Tenn., shared the award for the small vessel category. Rear Admiral Robert C. North, assistant commandant for Marine Safety and Environmental Protection, presented the awards at the American Petroleum Institute Tanker Conference in La Jolla, California. The USCG's William M.

Strategically located along the Louisiana Gulf Coast at the junction of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the Atchafalaya river, the Morgan City Harbor and Terminal District has just completed construction of a medium draft vessel port. This major Louisiana inter-modal transportation facility features an 800-ft. concrete wharf; a 20,000-sq. ft. fire protected transit shed, two-paved cargo marshalling yards covering 117,000 sq. ft., two-rail sidings connecting directly to the cross country Burlington-Northern/Santa Fe main railroad line, a large crane and forklifts to handle containerized cargo and ready highway access to the US Highway 90 (Interstate 49) freeway.

NYS Department of Transportation Commissioner John Boardman, Port Authority of New York/New Jersey Executive Director Joe Seymour and Albany Mayor Gerald D. Jennings joined the Governor at the Port today. The funding enables the Port of Albany to be a full partner in the Inland Distribution Network, a system of satellite facilities for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Albany Mayor Gerald D. Jennings gave great praise to the governor for his help on this project, and also highlighted the dedication of local people involved with the Port that helped Albany become a key inland site for the distribution network. “Thanks to the Governor’s recognition of the great potential which lies within the wharves and warehouses of the Port…

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is considering establishing a nationwide transportation worker identification system under which workers in all transportation modes would carry “smart cards” to verify their identity and control their access to vessels and transportation facilities. A DOT team, known as the Credentialing Direct Action Group, of CDAT, briefed industry representatives on the concept at a January 22 briefing at DOT headquarters in Washington, D.C. The CDAG, briefed industry representatives from each of DOT’s operating agencies, including the Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration, as well as the new Transportation Security Administration (TSA).