Western Pennsylvania News

Theodore, Ala. aluminum boatbuilder Silver Ships recently delivered an Explorer 40 workboat to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Pittsburgh District for use on the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers.The second of three Explorer 40 series workboats ordered by USACE Pittsburgh District, the 40-foot workboat will support the Corps’ mission of improving navigable waterways and water infrastructure.The custom-built 40-foot vessel is powered by Twin 350HP Suzuki outboard motors that give the vessel enhanced maneuvering capabilities for working in tight spaces.

With dredging business booming in the U.S., companies across the country invest in innovative new tonnage to get the job done more efficiently, effectively and safely. Chris Gunsten, SVP, Project Services & Fleet Engineering, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (GLDD) and Patrick Webb, Senior Director Sales - Global Marine and Stationary, Wabtec discuss the tech inside the new Conrad-built trailing suction hopper dredge Galveston Island.Conrad Shipyard recently launched Galveston Island, the first of two newbuild hopper dredges being built for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is evaluating remote operation of locks within the U.S. inland waterways system. Timetables are hazy, but the Corps plans to include remote operations capabilities during rehabilitations or new construction, in the work planned, for example, in the Upper Ohio Navigation Project, part of the USACE’s Pittsburgh District.In fact, the first install project is being readied at Lock & Dam 4 on the Monongahela River. L&D 4 is also known as Charleroi Locks and Dam because it’s at Charleroi, Pa, at river mile 41.5, between Pittsburgh and Fairmont, W.Va.

GE’s Power Conversion business has been awarded a $40 million contract to supply the power and propulsion systems for two National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV). This new class of purpose-built ships for the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) will be used primarily to provide cadets with at-sea training on operational vessels.GE was selected as the single-source vendor (SSV) for the ships’ propulsion system, which includes the integration of the diesel engines…

Wabtec Corporation said it has been awarded a contract worth more than $10 million to supply engines for the first two of the U.S. Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs) being built at Philly Shipyard.In April Philly Shipyard was selected to build up to five NSMVs that will enable at-sea training for America’s future mariners and support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The first two NSMV ships will be homeported at state…

Great Lakes-St. Lawrence shipping continues to bounce back after a slow start. With strong tonnage numbers in July, particularly shipments of U.S. grain, liquid bulk and project cargo, the 2018 shipping season is right on par with the healthy statistics posted last year.Overall cargo shipments on the St. Lawrence Seaway between March 29 and July 31 totaled 16.5 million metric tons. Areas of strength included U.S. grain shipments totaling 888,000 metric tons, up 32 percent over last year. Liquid bulk shipments totaled 2.3 million metric tons, an increase of 25 percent.

U.S. refineries from Ohio to Minnesota are capitalizing on access to cheap crude from Western Canada and North Dakota oilfields, helping their region break a historic dependence on fuel from the Gulf Coast while redrawing oil trade maps. Since the early 2000s, crude and fuel flows from the Gulf Coast into the U.S. heartland have been cut in half, as crude coming from Canada and North Dakota has pushed U.S. Midwest refining activity to record levels. In 2016, Midwest refining capacity rose to 3.9 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude, the highest annual volume on record. Midwest refiners such as Marathon Petroleum Corp, Phillips 66, BP PLC and Husky Energy have invested billions of dollars on new units capable of turning sludgy crude from Canada into gasoline and diesel.

The U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) has announced that eight U.S. ports in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System are receiving the prestigious Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award. The awards were given for registering increases in international cargo tonnage shipped through their ports during the 2014 navigation season compared to the previous year. The eight winners of the Pacesetter Award for 2014 are: the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority…

The Port of Pittsburgh Commission (PPC) announced today that Mr. Stephen Martinko will be the Commission's new executive director. Since January, 2013, Martinko has been the deputy staff director of the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and previously served as chief of staff for U.S. Congressman Bill Shuster (R-PA). Martinko was instrumental in the development of the Water Resources and Reform Development Act (WRRDA) that was signed into law by President Obama earlier this year.

The Port of Erie is located on the southeast shore of Lake Erie in a natural bay formed and sheltered by Presque Isle peninsula. Its harbor entrance channel is narrow and 29 feet deep. Dredging is a constant concern. In fact, dredging of harbors around the Great Lakes has been a hot button issue for the maritime industry. Funding is provided by the Harbor Maintenance Tax which is a user fee collected by the federal government to ensure the adequate maintenance and operations of waterway infrastructure by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. On Tuesday, March 4, the Corps released their FY14 budget. It included an additional $25 million for Great Lakes harbors - $13.8 million of which will be dedicated to dredging.

Despite a downturn in overall cargo movements through the St. Lawrence Seaway in July (down 12.5% over 2012), new cargos and new vessels signaled continued confidence in the future of the navigation system. Several U.S. ports welcomed a variety of heavy lift cargos destined for projects throughout the region. “Twice during July, McKeil Marine Ltd. has called at the Port of Monroe to deliver heavy-lift industrial components,” said Monroe port director Paul LaMarre. “These project pieces were manufactured by Cherubini Metal Workers Ltd in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and will be installed in the last of four Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) Units at DTE Energy’s Monroe Power Plant.

Donjon Marine, Co., Inc., a global marine services provider based in N.J., announced the creation of Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair, LLC (DSR). Through an agreement with the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority and the acquisition of the assets of the former Erie Shipbuilding, LLC, DSR will engage in shipbuilding and repair on its 44-acre site on Lake Erie, Pa. The acquisition adds shipbuilding and repair to Donjon’s existing spectrum of marine services, including dredging, salvage, heavy lift and towing. DSR’s facility, equipped with a 1,250-ft by 120-ft by 22-ft dry dock, is the largest shipyard of its kind on the Great Lakes.

The Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies (BCMS) hosted the first ever Great Lakes Region Primary and Secondary Maritime Education Conference. The conference was held at the BCMS waterfront campus on May 11th and 12th, 2009, in Erie, Pennsylvania. There has been a growing movement nationally to encourage the development of maritime career opportunity awareness and K-12 maritime education. BCMS specializes in creating hands-on programs that provide maritime access and training ranging…

On April 20, Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security revealed that four bridge alteration projects will receive funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that President Obama signed into law on February 19. Additionally, Secretary Napolitano announced that some ARRA funding would go toward building the edifices for various Coast Guard sectors, and for other functions around the country. ARRA allotted $240m to the Coast Guard. Secretary Napolitano indicated that $142m of that total will fund bridge alteration projects on the Mobile Bridge in Hurricane, Al.; the EJ&E Bridge in Devine, Ill.; the Burlington Bridge in Burlington, Ia.; and, the Galveston Causeway Bridge in Galveston, Texas.

For the first time in the history of the inland navigation system, a dam floated. The Braddock Dam Segment One floated into place and set down on Dec. 7, mating underwater with 47 drilled shafts that make up the dam segment's foundation. Vertical and horizontal alignment of the segment came within one inch of the design. Segment One, the larger of two segments, is a reinforced concrete marine structure 330 ft. long and weighing 16,600 tons. On Dec. 5 towboats moved it from the project outfitting pier a mile-and-a-half upstream, then it was sunk in place. Underbase grouting filled the gap between the river bottom and underside of the dam segment.

Governor Edward G. operate them are receiving $8.6 million worth of grants. awarded through the U.S. grant program. state agency. Regional Port Authority. within four months. Philadelphia area. the Port of Philadelphia area. effectiveness by adding sophisticated sensor equipment to CAP aircraft.

With a year to go before it even touches the water for the first time, the U.S. Navy's amphibious assault ship USS New York has already made history — twice. It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center, and it weathered Hurricane Katrina. That combination of disasters gives the ship a unique standing among the 2,000 workers building it in a shipyard near New Orleans, says Philip Teel, vice president of Northrop Grumman Corp. and head of its ship systems division. Many of its workers have continued on the job despite losing homes and possessions to the storm last Aug. 29, Teel said. USS New York, scheduled to go into service in 2008…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced the expanded implementation of its newest river forecasting system, the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS). AHPS is a combination of software and hardware tools that will draw together data from other modern technologies such as Doppler weather radar, satellite and weather station observations and other existing weather communication systems. The new service will assist in predicting high water and low water events weeks in advance, allowing more time for river users to prepare for an event. The new service will be deployed this year on the upper Mississippi River, with implementation scheduled for river tributaries in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.