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21 Mar 2024

Inland Waterways Focus: The Pacific Northwest Columbia-Snake River System

© Rich / Adobe Stock

"The Columbia River and its tributaries, wetlands, and estuaries are the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest, providing abundant water, power, recreation, agriculture, transportation and natural resources that have supported livelihoods, cultural and spiritual practices, commerce and economic growth.” - President Biden, Memorandum of September 27, 2023.Those abundant benefits directly impact about 13 million people in the Pacific Northwest. Hydropower extends that plentitude to millions more, powering cities and industry from Idaho to California.

18 Dec 2023

The Man Behind the 'Jones Act'

Senator Wesley Livsey Jones (Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, photograph by Harris and Ewing, [LC-DIG-hec-15427])

Senator Wesley Livsey Jones gave his name to the famous “Jones Act” governing U.S. domestic maritime trade. But what do really know about him? It turns out that he was much more than a leading merchant marine policy maker. (i)Jones had a long career in the U.S. House of Representatives before he was a Senator, was an effective legislator, an astute politician, one of the hardest working legislators of his era, and always viewed as honest and forthright. His many maritime legislative successes included the Merchant Marine Act…

17 Nov 2023

Bringing the Capital Construction Fund Program Ashore

© William A. Morgan / Adobe Stock

On May 5, 2023, the White House announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was “taking the next step to invest $3 billion in its Clean Ports Program to fund zero-emission port equipment and technology and to help ports develop climate action plans to reduce air pollutants, improve air quality and public health in neighboring communities, and advance environmental justice.” That “next step” was the issuance of a Request for Information to inform EPA of the availability…

03 Nov 2023

US House Passes Bill to Harden Sanctions on Iranian Oil

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The U.S. House of Representatives easily passed a bill on Friday to bolster sanctions on Iranian oil in a strong bipartisan vote.The Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) bill, which passed 342-69, would impose measures on foreign ports and refineries that process petroleum exported from Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions.U.S. lawmakers are debating several pieces of legislation to pressure Iran after the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas that killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians.

17 Nov 2023

Capital Construction Funds: A New Opportunity For Vessel Financing On The Inland Waterways

© Carisa Mitchell / Adobe Stock

Recent changes have opened up the Capital Construction Fund program to owners and operators of vessels on the U.S. inland waterways.Among the programs offered by the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Maritime Administration (MARAD) to promote the growth and modernization of the U.S. maritime industry, the Capital Construction Fund (CCF) program is one that has remained largely unavailable to the owners and operators of vessels on the inland waterways—until now.Created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936…

16 Aug 2023

Lawmakers Urge Biden to Resolve Offloading Delay of Seized Iran Oil Tanker

U.S. lawmakers from both political parties have urged President Joe Biden and members of his administration to resolve a months-long delay in the transfer of a cargo of oil from a seized Iranian tanker off Texas.The Suez Rajan has been stuck near Galveston about 50 miles (80 km) from Houston since May 30, as shipping companies fear any vessel unloading it would lead other oil buyers to shun their ships on future voyages. The U.S. seized the tanker in a sanctions enforcement operation.The delay in discharging the cargo is also partly out of fear of repercussions from Iran. A senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' navy said last month Iran would retaliate against any oil company unloading Iranian oil from a seized tanker.Senators Joni Ernst…

26 Jun 2023

U.S. House Committee Green-Lights Strong Funding - WCI

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The House Committee on Appropriations approved by a vote of 34-24 the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Energy and Water Development (E&W) Appropriations Bill. Included in the bill are Community Project Funding (CPF) requests for Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF) construction projects.Overall proposed funding for Corps’ Civil Works is $9.57 billion, an increase of $910 million above FY23’s appropriated level, and $2.16 billion above the President’s FY24 budget request.FY24 funding for construction projects on the inland waterways is $455.97 million…

24 Apr 2023

Taiwan Tracking Chinese Carrier off its Southeast Coast

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Taiwan's defence ministry said on Monday that a Chinese carrier group led by the Shandong was about 120 nautical miles off the southeast of the island's coast, the same ship that took part in China's war games around the island earlier this month.Taiwan previously reported that the Shandong, commissioned in 2019, had sailed into waters in the Western Pacific through the Bashi Channel that separates the island from the Philippines ahead of a meeting between President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S.

13 Apr 2023

China to Ban Vessels from Area Near Taiwan Over Rocket Debris

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China will ban vessels from an area near Taiwan on Sunday because of the possibility of falling rocket debris, its maritime safety agency said on Thursday, as Japan sought details from Beijing on a reported no-fly zone in the same location. China has not commented on the no-fly zone, but South Korea, which was also briefed on the plans, said it was due to a falling object related to a launch vehicle. The disruption comes during tension in the region over Chinese military exercises around Taiwan…

11 Apr 2023

Chinese Aircraft, Ships Remain around Taiwan After Drills end

Chinese warplanes and navy ships were still in the waters around Taiwan, the island's defense ministry said on Tuesday after the end of three days of war games, as Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen criticized Beijing for its "irresponsible" behavior.China began the exercises on Saturday after Tsai returned to Taipei following a meeting in Los Angeles with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.China, which warned the U.S. not to allow Tsai to visit or meet McCarthy, has never renounced the use of force to bring the democratically governed island under Beijing's control.

06 Apr 2023

Taiwan Watching Chinese Movements After Beijing Denounces US Speaker Meeting

U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in formation with the Japanese destroyer JS Umigiri (DD 158), South Korea's destroyers ROKS Yul Gok Yi (DDG 992), ROKS Dae Jo young (DDH 977) and ROKS Choi Young (DDH 981), combat support ship ROKS So Yang (AOE 51), and the U.S. destroyers USS Decatur (DDG 73) and USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) in the East China Sea on April 4, 2023. (Photo: U.S. Navy)

Taiwan was keeping a close watch on a Chinese aircraft carrier and threats to inspect ships in the Taiwan Strait on Thursday after Beijing condemned a meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.McCarthy - the third highest ranking official in the U.S. leadership hierarchy - and other Republican and Democratic lawmakers met Tsai on Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.The meeting took place at a low ebb of U.S.-China relations and despite threats of retaliation from Beijing…

09 Feb 2023

Crowley Names Heil VP, Government Relations

Clay Heil (Photo: Crowley)

Crowley has appointed Clay Heil as vice president of global government relations, where he will lead the company’s full spectrum of government advocacy across all of the company’s business interests and activities.Based in Washington, D.C., Heil will spearhead Crowley’s engagement with federal, state and local government partners and elected officials on policy and regulatory matters that support the company’s strategic growth. Heil joins Crowley with more than 25 years of legislative and legal experience. In Congress, he worked in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S.

30 Sep 2022

Taiwan Inducts New Amphibious Ship in Push to Bolster Defense Industry

Credit: Taiwan Military News Agency - Photo by Wang Mingsheng

Taiwan's navy took delivery on Friday of a new, domestically made amphibious warfare ship that can be used to land troops and bolster supply lines to vulnerable islands, part of President Tsai Ing-wen's defense self-sufficiency push. The 10,600-tonne Yu Shan, named after Taiwan's tallest mountain, is the latest development in Tsai's ambitious program to modernize the armed forces amid increased pressure from China, which claims the island as its own.Speaking at the delivery ceremony in the southern port city of Kaohsiung…

21 Sep 2022

US, Canadian Warships Sail Through Taiwan Strait

The guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) transits the Taiwan Strait. Higgins is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. (Photo: Donavan K. Patubo / U.S. Navy)

A U.S. Navy warship and a Canadian frigate made a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, the militaries of both nations said, at a time of heightened military tension between Beijing and Taipei.The transit was the second in a month by a U.S. Navy ship, and the second jointly by the United States and Canada in less than a year, since October 2021.While China condemned the mission, saying its forces "warned" the ships, recent years have seen U.S. warships, and occasionally those of allied nations such as Britain and Canada…

29 Aug 2022

US Warships Transit Taiwan Strait, First Since Pelosi Visit

Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) (Photo: Santiago Navarro / U.S. Navy)

Two U.S. Navy warships sailed through international waters in the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, the first such operation since a visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi enraged China which regards the island as its territory.The U.S. Navy, confirming a Reuters report, said cruisers Chancellorsville and Antietam were carrying out the ongoing operation. Such operations usually take eight to 12 hours to complete and are closely monitored by China's military.In recent years, U.S.

11 Aug 2022

Taiwan Says China's Threat Remains, Though Military Drills Ease

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China's threat of force is undiminished, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Thursday, even though Beijing's largest ever military drills around the island seemed to be scaling down.Furious about a visit to Chinese-claimed Taiwan last week by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, China launched ballistic missiles and deployed multiple aircraft and warships in recent days to simulate sea and air attacks.China said on Wednesday it would keep up patrols but had "completed various tasks" around Taiwan, signaling a possible end to the war games even while keeping up pressure.

05 Aug 2022

China's Military Drills Near Taiwan Disrupt Key Shipping Lanes

© tawatchai1990 / Adobe Stock

China's military exercises in the waters around Taiwan have prompted some ships to navigate around the Taiwan Strait and give the island a wide berth, disrupting key trading routes for cargo and commodities sailing around the world, analysts said.Angered by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, China on Thursday began four days of military drills around the disputed island, including firing live missiles and deploying fighter jets.Although Taiwan's ports are operating as normal…

13 Apr 2022

Russia's Black Sea Flagship Hit by Ukrainian Missile

© alexnikit / Adobe Stock

Russia said on Thursday the flagship of its Black Sea fleet was seriously damaged and its crew evacuated following an explosion that a Ukrainian official said was the result of a missile strike.Russia's defence ministry said a fire on the Moskva missile cruiser caused ammunition to blow up, Interfax news agency reported.It did not say what caused the fire but Maksym Marchenko, the Ukrainian governor of the region around the Black Sea port of Odesa, said the Moskva had been hit…

17 Jun 2022

Biden Signs Ocean Shipping Reform Act Into Law

President Biden at the Port of Los Angeles on June 10, 2022. (Photo: @POTUS / Twitter)

President Joe Biden on Thursday signed legislation to improve oversight of ocean shipping, which lawmakers say will help curb inflation and ease export backlogs.The bipartisan bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives on a 369-42 vote earlier this week. Biden said he had "promised to crack down on ocean carriers whose price hikes have hurt American families."The new law boosts the investigatory authority of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), the U.S. agency that oversees ocean shipping…

14 Jun 2022

US House Passes Ocean Shipping Reform Act

© angeldibilio / Adobe Stock

The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation Monday to improve oversight of ocean shipping, which supporters say will help curb inflation and ease export backlogs. The bill was approved 369-42 and will head to the White House for President Joe Biden's signature. Biden said in a statement he looked forward to signing it into law.The bill would boost the investigatory authority of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), the U.S. agency that oversees ocean shipping, and…

10 May 2022

Interview: Richard Balzano, Dredging Contractors of America

Richard Balzano (Photo: DCA)

Richard Balzano took over as CEO and executive director of the Dredging Contractors of America in December 2020. And while he says he’s “still fairly new to the [dredging] industry”, he certainly knows his way around the business, having held a number of prominent roles over the course of more than 30 years in the maritime and U.S government sectors. His resume is impressive. A combat veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, he retired from the U.S. Navy at the rank of Captain. He later served as the presidentially appointed Deputy Maritime Administrator for three years…

22 May 2022

Op-ed: Building on Don Young’s Legacy of Protecting Alaska Oceans

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May 22 marks National Maritime Day. Congress established it in 1933 in commemoration of the steam ship Savannah and her maiden voyage, which was the first trans-Atlantic journey ever made by a steam-powered vessel. In the 203 years since the Savannah departed her eponymous port in Georgia for Liverpool, England, oceangoing technology has come a long way – and maritime shipping has become a supply-chain backbone that keeps goods arriving from all over the world. Much of this shipping…

15 Jul 2022

New Crewing Mandate Could Be a 'Gut Punch' to U.S. Offshore Wind Projects

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The U.S. House has this week passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), in which it attached a provision that would change rules for manning offshore vessels in U.S. waters, with the goal of fostering American jobs in the U.S. offshore wind sector, however, the move could be counterproductive.According to American Clean Power (ACP), which has slammed the move, the U.S. Coast Guard Authorization Act contains a provision that requires, within 120 days, that the nationality…