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Allegheny News

14 Sep 2023

USACE Awards Contract for Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3 Removal

(Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District awards a nearly $30 million contract to remove the Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3 in Elizabeth, Pa.The district awarded the dam removal contract to the Pittsburgh-based Joseph B. Fay Company.The work is part of the Lower Monongahela River project, which includes the construction of the larger lock chamber at Locks and Dam 4 at river mile 41.5 near Charleroi and the replacement of the fixed-crest dam with a gated dam at Locks and Dam 2 in Braddock…

05 Apr 2023

Silver Ships Delivers Workboat to USACE Pittsburgh District

(Photo: Silver Ships)

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.

28 Oct 2021

Stephaich, Pyne Honored by National Rivers Hall of Fame

Peter Stephaich (left) and Joseph H. Pyne.

National Rivers Hall of Fame will honor marine towing industry veterans Peter Stephaich and Joseph H. Pyne during the Annual Waterways Symposium hosted by Waterways Council, Inc. in St. Louis, Mo., in November.Stephaich, the current Chairman and CEO of Blue Danube Incorporated and Campbell Transportation Company, Inc., and Pyne, Kirby Corporation’s former CEO, will receive the Hall's Achievement Award, given to individuals making significant contributions to America’s waterways and barge industry.Having served the river industry for over 30 years…

09 Jun 2020

INSIGHTS: Mary Ann Bucci, Executive Director, Port of Pittsburgh Commission

Mary Ann Bucci, Executive Director, Port of Pittsburgh Commission (Photo: Port of Pittsburgh Commission)

Mary Ann Bucci has spent her entire career in many different aspects of the logistics profession, selling container space on international vessels for SeaLand Service, leasing railcar equipment for GE Railcar Services, and negotiated rail rate for Aristech Chemicals. Having spent the last 19 years advocating for the inland waterways system, specifically for the Port of Pittsburgh District, Bucci weighs in on some of the top issues and key projects underway at one of the nation’s busiest inland ports.Please describe the Port of Pittsburgh Commission’s role in supporting waterway commerce…

19 Nov 2018

Stephaich Elected Chairman of WCI

Peter Stephaich

The Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) named Peter H. Stephaich, Chairman and CEO of Campbell Transportation Company, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA), as its Chairman of the Board. Stephaich succeeds Tim Parker, President, Parker Towing Company (Tuscaloosa, AL), who served as WCI Chairman from 2016-2018.Stephaich has served the barge industry for more than 30 years in a number of key roles, as Past Chairman and Past Treasurer of the American Waterways Operators; Past Chairman and Trustee of the National Waterways Foundation…

09 Nov 2017

New Fireboat Delivered in Pittsburgh

(Photo courtesy of Ronald Roth, MD, Medical Director, City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety.)

Lake Assault Boats said it has delivered a 34-foot fireboat to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire in Pittsburgh, Penn. The vessel is the department’s first new dedicated fireboat since 1974. The new fireboat, named after Pittsburgh’s first female mayor, Sophie Masloff, who passed away in 2014, was dedicated on October 27. In a formal ceremony, the former mayor’s eldest granddaughter broke a bottle of champagne on the boat’s gunnel as it was launched into the Ohio River. The Lake Assault deep V-hull fireboat respond to emergencies and help manage fires on the waterways…

15 Feb 2017

Lake Assault to Build Pittsburgh Fireboat

Lake Assault Boats, a leading manufacturer of purpose-built and mission-specific fire and rescue boats, has been chosen to construct a 34-foot fireboat by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire in Pittsburgh, PA. The fireboat will respond to emergencies and help manage fires on waterways, waterfronts, rail lines, and marinas that lie along the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, which join together in Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River. The contract is valued at more than $540,000. The craft will be delivered in summer 2017. “We are thrilled to be appointed by the City of Pittsburgh and its Equipment Leasing Authority to engineer and construct this extremely powerful fireboat to protect resources that lie along the city’s iconic riverfront areas…

13 May 2015

PPG Announces Executive Appointments

PG Industries today announced executive appointments effective June 1. Vince Morales, currently vice president, investor relations, will become vice president, investor relations, and treasurer. Morales will report to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Frank Sklarsky. Since joining PPG in 1985, Morales has advanced through various finance leadership roles of increasing responsibility. He was appointed to his current position in 2007. Morales earned a Bachelor of Science from Robert Morris University and an MBA from The Ohio State University. Eric Thiele, currently corporate treasurer, will become vice president and business controller, global architectural coatings and protective and marine coatings.

19 May 2014

Five Chinese Indicted in U.S. for Cyber Spying

A U.S. grand jury has indicted five members of the Chinese military for allegedly cyber spying on American companies in the nuclear power, metals and solar products industries, the Department of Justice said on Monday. The military hackers conspired to steal information that would be useful to competitors of those companies in China, including state-owned companies there, the agency said. Six American companies, including United States Steel Corp , Alcoa Inc and Allegheny Technologies Inc, and one labor union were victims of Chinese hacking attacks, U.S. officials said.

03 Mar 2014

Port of Pittsburgh Seeks Technology Testers

The Port of Pittsburgh Commission seeks local companies and individuals to participate in its Wireless Waterway (WW) Interoperability Test Bed (ITB) the week of June 15, 2014. The commission is accepting applications through April 1, 2014 from interested entrepreneurs, organizations and vendors to conduct demonstrations of technologies and products on the WWITB. In addition it seeks volunteers both to act as professional evaluators and to assist in the operations of the event. The commission established this test bed to help identify technologies which addressed critical river water challenges in the areas of river transportation, communications, environment, safety, sensor, communications, cyber-security, collaboration and interoperability.

24 Jan 2014

McLean Voted CEO of Allegheny Port Authority

The Port Authority of Allegheny County’s Board of Directors today voted to hire Ellen McLean as CEO of the transit agency. McLean’s contract is effective February 1 and extends for three years, with options to extend the agreement for up to two additional years. McLean currently is the Interim CEO and previously served as the Authority’s Chief Finance Officer. “Ellen is the right person at the right time for Port Authority,” said Port Authority Chairman Bob Hurley. “Ellen’s financial expertise and ability to work collaboratively toward solutions has set her apart. It’s become abundantly clear over the past six months that she is the right person to lead Port Authority at this most critical time.

10 Jun 2013

Inland Waterway Safety Advancement: Port of Pittsburgh & CONSUL Join Hands

Waterway Operations: Photo courtesy of CONSOL

CONSOL Energy & Port of Pittsburgh unveil a state-of-the art broadband network designed to Improve efficiency & safety on Inland waterways. Aboard its newly refurbished river fleet vessel, the M/V Safety Pledge, CONSOL Energy Inc. and the Port of Pittsburgh Commission have unveiled the first wireless broadband network deployed on inland waterways in the United States. Developed exclusively on Pittsburgh's three rivers over the past several months, this new neutral wireless broadband network…

23 Oct 2012

Inland Leadership Means Embracing Technology

The Port of Pittsburgh’s state-of-the-art wireless network will eventually allow a myriad of users to collaborate, improve operations, maritime safety, security and a host of other tasks. Really: the cloud is the limit. This story weaves technology, leadership and innovation – all of it happening on the waterfront. The inland waterfront. If this sounds like something more closely associated with bluewater container shipping logistics, then you can be forgiven for getting lost in the moment.

09 Apr 2012

U.S. Navy: The Business Case for a Titanium Ship

Friction stir titanium welding is conducted at the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing at Michoud, Louisiana. (UNO-NCAM photo by Dr. Greg Dobson)

Participants at a workshop exploring the use of titanium structure for ships found that it is not only possible to construct a ship hull from titanium—or Ti, it could be cost effective. The workshop was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research and hosted by the University of New Orleans, where an ONR research program on titanium ship structures is being conducted. Representatives of the shipbuilding industry, titanium suppliers, Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force labs, and academia discussed and examined materials, processes and applications. Most ships today are primarily made from steel.

30 Jul 2010

Grant to Reduce Emissions at Port of Pittsburgh

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $1,156,838 grant to the Port of Pittsburgh Commission on July 28 to oversee extensive repowering of four marine towing vessels with new, more efficient diesel engines and generators that will reduce air pollution, improve air quality and lessen overall environmental impacts. The grant was awarded under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act. “Putting clean diesel engines in these hard-working marine vessels will bring cleaner, healthier air for communities along the Port’s 200-miles of navigable waterways,” said EPA mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. EPA and the Port were joined by the Allegheny County Health Department…

13 Jul 2009

More Funding for Port of Pittsburgh District

The Port of Pittsburgh Commission Executive Director, James R. McCarville, praised the announcement from Senators Specter and Casey that additional funding was included for the locks and dams in the Port of Pittsburgh District. These funds included $25m for rehabilitation of the Emsworth Dam; $21.4m for maintenance on the Ohio River; $16.8m for maintenance on the Mon; and $9m for maintenance on the Allegheny River and $1.75 for the important study of the navigation needs of the Upper Ohio River at Emsworth, Dashields and Montgomery, all in southwestern Pennsylvania. Not as sufficient, however, was the $6.2m for the rehabilitation of Locks and Dams 2-3-4 on the Lower Monongahela river, near Pittsburgh.

07 May 2009

Port of Pittsburgh Applies for ARRA Grant

The commonwealth has applied for a $1.5 million Clean Diesel Emerging Technology grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to upgrade two marine diesel engines in the Pittsburgh area, Governor Edward G. Rendell announced. "Diesel engines play important roles in our everyday lives, but old, inefficient engines are major sources of air pollution that make it difficult for many people to breathe," Governor Rendell said. "Diesel emissions are not limited to our highways and factories. Marine vessels used at the Port of Pittsburgh are essential to moving freight along the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers, but they also diminish the region's air quality.

01 May 2009

Stimulus Funding for Port of Pittsburgh

“Fantastic”, was the response that James R. McCarville, Executive Director of the Port of Pittsburgh Commission, had to the announcement that the US Army Corps of Engineers planned to spend over $110m in Stimulus funding for navigation in southwestern Pa. Specifically, the $84m scheduled for Charleroi Lock in the Lower Mon 2-3-4 project, rescues a billion dollar project that otherwise might have had to go on to life support/shutdown. Those funds will be used to complete the construction of the river wall, and construct a new Upper Guard Wall and a new Lower Guard Wall to safely guide vessels in and out of the chamber. Thirteen million will be added to the $25.8m in the FY09 budget for repairs to the Emsworth Dam and $285…

26 Nov 2008

Allegheny River – Safety Zone

The US Coast Guard established a temporary safety zone, through December 31, on the Allegheny River between mile markers 36.1 and 36.5 due to hazards associated with the active failure of Lock & Dam #6. Entry into the safety zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by Captain of the Port (COTP) Pittsburgh. 73 Fed. Reg. 71555  (November 25, 2008). (Source: Holland & Knight)

26 Oct 2007

NWF Elects New Officers, Trustees

The National Waterways Foundation elected new officers and trustees at its recent meeting on October 3, 2007 in Houston, TX. Newly elected Foundation officers are Peter Stephaich, Chairman, Campbell Transportation Co., Chairman, succeeding Joe Pyne, President/CEO, Kirby Corporation, and Terry Becker, President, Riverway Co., Treasurer. R. Barry Palmer, WCI, President and CEO, was re-elected as Secretary. Re-elected as Foundation trustees were Craig E. Philip, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ingram Barge Company; H. Merritt Lane, III, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canal Barge Company; Howard H. Brent, Peter Stephaich and R. Barry Palmer.

16 May 2007

Giancola Joins Goldsmith & Ogrodowski

Russell D. Giancola, formerly law clerk to the Honorable Ronald W. Folino, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, has joined Pittsburgh-based admiralty defense firm, Goldsmith & Ogrodowski, LLC, as an associate attorney, and will focus on admiralty and maritime, insurance coverage, personal injury, and commercial litigation.