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Kentucky News

12 Oct 2023

Inland Waterways: US Making Progress on Infrastructure

(Photo: Michel Sauret / USACE)

The United States’ vast network of navigable inland rivers is vital to the nation’s economy, serving as an aquatic superhighway for the efficient shipment of critical commodities like agricultural goods, energy products, building materials and industrial chemicals to destinations within the U.S. and to deepwater ports for export. The Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI), which advocates for a modern, efficient and well-maintained inland waterways, often describes the network as “the…

19 Sep 2023

Ports of Indiana Names Operations Managers at Ohio River Ports

Ashley Blocker and Michael Graves (Photos: Ports of Indiana)

Ports of Indiana has filled two key leadership roles at its Ohio River ports, naming Ashley Blocker and Michael Graves as Operations Managers in Mount Vernon and Jeffersonville, respectively.Blocker, a southwest Indiana native, was promoted to the new role after serving as Operations Analyst for Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon since 2022. She previously worked in multiple roles with Squaw Creek Southern Railroad and has more than 15 years’ experience in port and rail operations, customer relations and data analysis.

10 Jul 2023

Thordon Optimizes Workboat Rudder with New Bearing Combo

ThorPlas-Blue bearings installed in an articulating rudder with Thorseals in-situ - Credit: Thordon Bearings

When a 9,280hp workboat returned to service following extensive repairs at the James Marine Paducah River Service yard in Kentucky, U.S.A., it marked the first application of Thordon’s new seal-embedded bearing to an articulating rudder, Thordon Bearings said Monday. Articulating rudders are unlike conventional rudders and can be more costly to repair when things go wrong. They are more susceptible to wear and tear, due to the higher operating pressures and abrasives, and as a result…

22 Jun 2023

Corps Launches Lower Miss 'Mega-study'

© Aneese / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is kicking off a five-year, $25 million "mega-study" with the goal to help guide effective and practical management of the Lower Mississippi River.The Corps said the the study will help it to identify recommendations for the comprehensive management of the region across multiple purposes, including hurricane and storm damage reduction, flood risk management, structure and nonstructural flood control, floodplain management strategies, navigation…

29 Mar 2023

Barges Break Free on the Ohio River in Louisville

(Photo: Kentucky EEC)

The lock chambers at McAlpine Locks and Dam in Louisville, Ky., are closed to traffic after 10 barges broke loose from a tow on the Ohio River.Shortly after 2 a.m. on Tuesday, a vessel towing 11 barges struck a stationary structure at the entrance to the Portland Canal near the lock and dam, causing 10 of the barges to break loose.No injuries were reported, and all personnel are accounted for.Seven of the runaway barges, including one that had been pinned against the L&I railroad bridge pier…

11 Nov 2022

US Inland Waterways: Looking for Rainmakers

(Photo: Ingram Barge Company)

As 2022 moves into its final months, low water levels and drought form the basis of the news impacting inland waterways operators and barge companies. In the first week of October, numerous barges were reported grounded in the Mississippi River, particularly south of Baton Rouge. This has consequences: barge rates jumped 218% in St. Louis, compared to 2021.Low water was so severe that on October 7 Ingram Barge CEO John Roberts issued a force majeure notice (force majeure - unforeseeable…

17 Aug 2022

US Inland Waterway Infrastructure: Riding a Good News Wave

© Harold Stiver / Adobe Stock

The inland waterways have enjoyed several positive developments toward modernization of the system, particularly over the last two years.Annual appropriations that fund the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works mission have been steadily on the rise for the last nine fiscal years, specifically the Construction and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) accounts have been funded at historic levels. The passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in 2021 provided a…

13 Jun 2022

Barge Sinks in Kentucky Lock

A barge carrying gravel sank June 11, 2022, in the chamber of Kentucky Lock in Grand Rivers, Ky. The Corps of Engineers Nashville District is working with Terral River Service to refloat the barge June 14. (Photo: Caleb Skinner / USACE)

Officials are working to clear a barge that sunk in Kentucky Lock’s chamber on Saturday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said.The barge carrying gravel hung on the miter sill of the lock, which caused the bow to tip and take on water, lockmaster Caleb Skinner said.Both deckhands that were working at the time remained unharmed during the incident, which occurred at approximately 7:30 a.m.The owner of the barge, Terral River Service, is working with USACE Nashville District and plans to refloat the barge on Tuesday…

25 May 2022

US Inland Waterways: Big Money, New Projects, Help Wanted

(Photo: North Mississippi Industrial Development Association)

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…

07 Mar 2022

Recovery, Resilience and Demand Shifts to Drive Inland Waterway Cargo Flows

(Photo: Blessey Marine Services)

Waterway traffic is coming back. November 2021 saw 52.1 million tons moving on the U.S. inland waterway system, the highest monthly tonnage since October 2019, a few months before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the shutdowns and stoppages of early 2020. Flows estimated by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, based on data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) show a 25% rise from June 2020. Data in a presentation by The Waterways Council Inc (WCI)…

19 Jan 2022

US Army Corps Announces Spend Plan

© Elena Milovzorova / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Army on Wednesday announced  the Civil Works studies, projects and programs that the Corps would implement in Fiscal Year 2022 with the $22.81 billion in supplemental funding provided in two recently enacted laws — the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; and the 2022 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.The spend plan supports the Administration hitting the ground running by focusing on current Fiscal Year 2022 spending. Future announcements will provide spend plans for subsequent years.

10 Dec 2021

MARAD Awards $12.6 Million in Grants for US Marine Highways

© Anneke / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded $12.6 million in grants to nine marine highway projects across the Nation under the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP). The funding will help address supply chain disruptions, enhance the movement of goods along our navigable waterways, and expand existing waterborne freight services in Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.“These investments through the America’s Marine Highway Program will help us move more goods…

12 Nov 2021

Infrastructure Bill a Huge Boost for US Inland Waterways

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

The $1 trillion infrastructure package headed to President Joe Biden to sign into law will provide a welcome funding injection for America’s inland waterway infrastructure.The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was approved by Congress on November 6 and is expected to be signed by President Biden next week. The plan has money for everything from roads, bridges, ports and rail transit, to safe water, the power grid, broadband internet and more, including $2.5 billion…

08 Nov 2021

Inland Waterways: A Crucible of Issues

© Bill Perry / Adobe Stock

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…

20 Jul 2021

VIDEO: American Jazz Riverboat Set Free after Grounding in Kentucky

American Jazz - Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Gabriel Wisdom
U.S. Coast Guard District 8

The American Jazz riverboat, which ran aground near Canton, Kentucky on July 8 with 120 passengers and six crewmembers aboard, has finally been set free.The Lake Barkley Grounding Unified Command freed the riverboat, American Jazz, Friday from Lake Barkley in Cadiz, the U.S. Coast Guard said Saturday.At 3:22 p.m., salvage crews and the riverboat crew were able to free the riverboat from being ground by using a combination of a tug and barge setup along with the ship’s propulsion."Thanks to the amazing support of American Cruise Lines…

20 Jul 2021

USACE Gets 'Strong Funding' for FY22 by House Committee

© efesenko/AdobeStock

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) applauded approval by the House Appropriations Committee (by a vote of 33 to 24) of strong funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22). The Committee provided overall funding for the Corps’ Civil Works Mission for FY22 at $8.66 billion, an increase of $863 million above FY21’s appropriated level, and $1.9 billion above the President’s FY22 budget request.“WCI is pleased that the House Appropriations Committee has increased funding for the Corps of Engineers’ critical work…

09 Jul 2021

Cruise Ship Runs Aground near Canton, Kentucky

The U.S. Coast Guard responded Thursday to the aground cruise vessel American Jazz near Canton, Kentucky."American Jazz is aground near mile marker 62 on the Cumberland River outside the ship channel and is carrying 120 passengers and 54 crew members," the U.S. Coast Guard said.Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley watchstanders received a call Thursday morning from American Cruise Lines stating their vessel American Jazz ran aground. A Coast Guard Station Paducah 29-foot Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water boat crew along with a Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Paducah marine investigator were launched to the scene."No damage, pollution, or injuries were reported. The Coast Guard is coordinating with American Cruise Lines to establish a salvage plan to dislodge the cruise vessel.

01 Jun 2021

Waterways Commerce Cutter: It's Time for an Upgrade

USCGC Smilax is an inland construction tender commissioned in 1944. Smilax is the “Queen of the Fleet”, as the oldest commissioned U.S. Coast Guard cutter. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

In the last week of April, with little fanfare, the U.S. Coast Guard released a much-anticipated opportunity to build up to 27 Waterways Commerce Cutters. After the detailed design and construction contract is awarded in Spring of 2022, a lucky shipbuilder will begin replacing the Coast Guard’s eclectic fleet of 18 venerable river buoy tenders (WLR) and 13 inland construction tenders (WLIC).The Coast Guard’s inland waterways maintenance fleet has been ignored for far too long.

18 Dec 2020

US Inland Waterways: Cheer the Year!

© Rick Lohre / Adobe Stock

As we head toward the end of a very chaotic and COVID-filled 2020 and try to reflect on the positives, the inland waterways had a pretty good year overall. Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI), whose members depend on a modern, efficient inland waterways system, offers this look back, with hopes ahead for the passage of a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 2020 with our construction cost-share adjustment priority in the lame duck session of Congress.A disappointing FY21 budget requestIn February…

13 Jan 2021

WRDA 2020 Winds its Way to Passage

© Christopher Boswell / Adobe Stock

In early October, Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) reported in its newsletter Capitol Currents that the future of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020 hung in the balance, with many unknowns for its chances of being signed into law during the Lame Duck session of Congress that just concluded in late December.But despite twists and turns and a roller coaster ride, WRDA was, indeed, passed by Congress on December 21 as part of the FY21 Omnibus Appropriations that included a $900 billion COVID Relief package.

22 Dec 2020

WRDA 2020: A Historic Win for Inland Waterways -WCI

© Kent / Adobe Stock

On December 21, as part of an Omnibus Appropriations and COVID-19 relief funding package, the U.S. House of Representatives passed (359 yeas to 53 nays), and later the U.S. Senate passed (92 to 6) the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020. Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) called it a historic win for the inland waterways.The package included WCI’s top priority to adjust the cost-share for construction and major rehabilitation of inland waterways projects from 50% Inland…

04 Mar 2021

Elaine Chao Used DOT Resources for Family Business - Report

Elaine Chao (Photo: Office of President Trump)

The U.S. Justice Department declined to investigate or prosecute then-Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao after the inspector general’s office referred allegations of potential misuse of office for review, a report made public on Wednesday said.The report included allegations that Chao directed staff to research or purchase personal items for her online using her personal credit card or performed other personal errands for her or her father.The report focused largely on Chao’s actions related to her family’s shipping business…

12 May 2021

US Ready to Review Jones Act Waiver Requests Amid Pipeline Shutdown

© Eric / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Transportation Department has completed its assessment of what ships are available to carry petroleum products from the Gulf to the Eastern Seaboard and is ready to review any Jones Act waiver requests, the White House said on Wednesday after a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline disrupted supplies.The Jones Act requires goods moved between U.S. ports to be carried by ships built domestically and staffed by U.S. crews.The Department of Homeland Security must issue…