Transportation Research Board News

The 2022 Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS), scheduled to be held Nov. 15-17, 2022, hosted by Argonne National Laboratory at the Argonne campus in Lemont, Illinois, recently unveiled the full conference program, packed with experts with insights on the challenges facing the inland waterway systems.Click here to read the fulll program for MRS 2022MRS is an annual international event focused on risks involving the global maritime transportation system (MTS). For the MRS, the U.S. Coast Guard partners with the sponsor…

The 2022 Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS) is scheduled to be held Nov. 15-17, 2022, hosted by Argonne National Laboratory at the Argonne campus in Lemont, Illinois. MRS is an annual international event focused on risks involving the global maritime transportation system (MTS). For the MRS, the U.S. Coast Guard partners with the sponsor, the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and the hosting agency. MRS began in 2011 and has grown in size, scope and interest. The MRS event will be followed by the U.S.

The theme of Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS) 2022 is “The Importance of Inland Systems to the MTS.” The global MTS consists of numerous inland networks that connect the major transnational and inland ports. The United States has more than 25,000 miles of navigable waters, which can carry around 630 million tons of cargo annually. Barges carry the bulk of the commodities on the inland river networks while freighters carry the commodities on the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway. About 60 percent of the U.S. farm exports travel through inland waterways.

The 6th Biennial Marine Transportation System Innovative Science and Technology Conference, hosted by the CMTS and the Transportation Research Board, will be held virtually from March 15-17, 2021. The theme of the upcoming conference is “Advancing the Marine Transportation System through Automation and Autonomous Technologies: Trends, Applications and Challenges," and it will showcase current and emerging innovative science and technologies related to maritime transportation. This conference will be held virtually.Join your colleagues from government, industry, and academia to examine the rapidly evolving applications of autonomous and automated technologies.

Energy.It seems that energy touches every aspect of our lives from heating our homes to ensuring that fresh produce is available at grocery stores. It powers our cars and allows industry to move products around the world. The connection between energy and risk to the maritime environment has been a growing area of discussion, research and analysis. The United Kingdom’s Royal Navy, within its Joint Doctrine Publication (JDOP 0-10) 5th edition UK Maritime Power, captured this issue superbly: “Fossil fuels and minerals are an important resource in the maritime environment. New deposits of oil and gas, as well as mineral wealth, are discovered under the seabed each year, and improvements in technology will facilitate future exploitation.

Late last year, the Transportation Research Board released a major study that was undertaken “in response to the rapid development of domestic sources of energy and questions about the safest ways to move these products.” The Study Committee examined the operational responses of the three primary modes impacted by the fracking revolution – rail, pipeline and maritime. A primary observation of this work was that that the “Marine Transportation System Offers a Model for Robust Safety…

The American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, hailed a study conducted for the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine which concludes that “[t]here is currently no scientific data to support […] a change in hours of service” for towing vessel crewmembers. Instead of regulatory changes to hours of service, which “are not likely to be the most effective way to increase sleep durations and improve sleep quality…

Shifting international trade patterns at America’s seaports – with mega-size vessels requiring higher capacity road and rail connections serving ports, along with deeper harbors, bigger cranes and sturdier berths – can bolster a region’s economy while straining its infrastructure. Because there’s no stopping these trade shifts, ports – and the communities they serve – must learn to adapt in order to bolster job growth, prevent traffic snarls and remain competitive. To address these issues…

The year 2015 has been a busy year for The American Waterways Operators, the national trade association for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, and for the industry AWO is privileged to represent. It’s a dynamic time for a vital industry that constitutes the largest segment of the U.S. domestic fleet, as companies throughout the industry are investing heavily to meet evolving customer needs; the industry stands on the verge of historic regulatory change; and AWO pursues an active public policy agenda to support members’ needs for predictable and practicable government policy.

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education and welfare of Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that William E. Jenkins has assumed the role of chairman of the board after being elected at a meeting of the directors and trustees on March 13. Joining the Foundation's board in 2009, Jenkins served as treasurer and vice-chairman prior to being elected board chair. Jenkins is a director on the Board of American Bureau of Shipping, Inc., a trustee of Webb Institute, and was president and CEO of ExxonMobil affiliates providing worldwide shipping and marine transportation when he retired from ExxonMobil in 2012.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) approved protective buffer zones (“Areas to be Avoided”) around Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, approximately 10 years after a shipping disaster occurred off its coasts. In December 2004, the M/V Selendang Ayu foundered off the Aleutians amidst severe weather and was blown to shore, eventually breaking into two pieces and causing more than 300,000 gallons of toxic heavy fuel oil to spill into pristine marine waters and resulted in the deaths of six crew members. Shipping in and around the Aleutian Islands is significant. In 2012, nearly 2,000 individual vessels made more than 4,600 transits through Unimak Pass at the eastern end of the island chain.

Federal Maritime Commissioners Richard A. Lidinsky, Jr. and William P. Doyle met with transportation officials from China on January 14, 2015 in Washington, D.C. Members of the delegation included Professor Yu Shicheng, Chairman of the Shanghai Maritime University Council and Director of the Shanghai International Shipping Institute (SISI); Wang Jianmin, Vice President of the Shanghai Shipping Exchange (SSE); Chen Jihong, Associate Professor at the Shanghai Maritime University (SMU); Luo Kai, a researcher at the China Academy of Transportation Sciences (CATS). Accompanying the visitors was Dr.

A convergence of forces makes for market opportunities for new safe ferry systems in the developing world. Need, policy, and funding are poised to provide a moment of opportunity. The expanding global economy has resulted in economic and population growth in developing world cities, resulting in horrendous road congestion. In response, governments and businesses have begun planning for intra-urban ferries wherever possible. Ferries in the developing world have a deserved reputation for being unsafe.

The United Seamen's Service (USS) 2014 Admiral of the Ocean Sea Awards (AOTOS) were presented to Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF); Joseph J. Cox, President/CEO, Chamber of Shipping of America; and Frederick J. Harris, President of General Dynamics NASSCO and Bath Iron Works, an American shipbuilder. The maritime industry's most prestigious awards were presented at a gala industry dinner and dance held at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, New York City, on November 7, 2014.

The Port of New Orleans has signed on as a sponsor for the 9th annual Oilseed & Grain Trade Summit, taking place here October 7-9, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. The Summit is reportedly the largest annual industry event that convenes buyers, sellers and global leaders in the oilseed, protein meals, vegetable oils and feed grains sectors, and includes discussions on the challenges and opportunities of logistics and transportation in the agriculture sector. Port of New…

The work of a committee, the National Research Council has released a new report – 'Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment', which concludes that the the U.S. is far from ready to respond effectively to such an event. U.S. Arctic waters north of the Bering Strait and west of the Canadian border encompass a vast area that is usually ice covered for much of the year, but is increasingly experiencing longer periods and larger areas of open water due to climate change. Sparsely inhabited with a wide variety of ecosystems found nowhere else, this region is vulnerable to damage from human activities. As oil and gas, shipping, and tourism activities increase, the possibilities of an oil spill also increase.

Louise M. DuVall, the first woman to serve on the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, died Saturday, April 19. She was 93. She was appointed to two terms on the Harbor Commission, serving from Feb. 6, 1979, to July 18, 1990. She advocated for women to rise in the legal profession and the maritime industry. “Louise led the way and broke through barriers for other women who would follow,” said current Harbor Commissioner Susan E. Anderson Wise, also an attorney, who speaks regularly to young career women about how DuVall inspired her.

Dave Sanford, interim chief of staff at Port Manatee, has been named to the National Academies of Science Marine Board, a Washington-based maritime advisory group. Sanford has accepted an appointment to a three-year term on the Marine Board, beginning Nov. 1. He brings to the board more than 40 years of maritime industry experience, including as director of navigation policy and legislation at the American Association of Port Authorities and in several senior executive capacities with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including as chief of civil works policy and chief of the Interagency and International Services Division. Formed in 1965, the Marine Board is an internationally recognized source of expertise on maritime transportation and marine engineering and technology.

Dr. Michael Bruno, Dean of the Schaefer School of Engineering and Science at Stevens Institute of Technology, has been selected as Chairman of the Marine Board, under the auspices of the Transportation Research Board ( TRB ) and the National Research Council (NRC). The Marine Board identifies and responds to critical issues in the area of water transportation, port engineering and management, marine policy, offshore development and operations, naval architecture, and maritime economics.

Make no mistake about it: the Arctic is open for business. The cumulative environmental footprint of oil exploration outfits, merchant shipping, mining, eco-tourism and the cruise ship trades is thus far minor, but the potential for an exponential increase in commerce – especially if the climate trends now affecting the region continue – is seemingly limitless. For the maritime industry, the down side to this is as big as the most promising business opportunity to come along in decades. The utility of a Northern Sea Route that follows the Siberian coastline, producing impressive time and fuel savings, a reduced emissions footprint, and elimination of canal transit fees for shippers moving goods between Europe and Asia has already been proven.

The trade association event takes place in Malta from October 5-9 with an agenda dominated by safety issues. Insights on how the aviation industry builds and maintains safety culture will come from special guest speaker Jarle Gimmestad of Norway-based operational safety consultancy Gimmestad AS. He was previously with Scandinavian airline SAS as a captain and then as human factors and crew resource manager, which included working with the accident investigation group. Pointing to the continuously improving safety record of air travel, he noted, “There is a significant tendency - while undesired events used to be caused by technical insufficiency, we now realize that most are contributed by human error. We have left the myth of perfection. Human error is a natural part of human behavior.

The Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment management team selected Nuka Research and Planning Group, LLC Feb. As the facilitator Nuke Research will support the team's ongoing Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment with a key role of assembling and facilitating advisory panel activities. The contract is currently being finalized. Nuka Research is a small business located in Alaska with extensive experience in facilitation and maritime issues in the Aleutian Islands. As the facilitator of the advisory panel…

The Hudson and East rivers are constantly abuzz with swarms of ferry, patrol, and cargo traffic. In August, New York hosted the Transportation Research Board’s ferry committee for a midyear conference. I was fortunate to be a guest presenter at this event and speak on behalf of vessel operations on the U.S. Marine Highways. With such high use on these historic waters, it was not surprising that much of the discussion circled back to the environment and vessel impact. When congress expanded the Marine Highways program in 2010, it was a big win for the marine industry. Funding new projects to merge people and freight off of the accident-prone and traffic-laced streets and onto unpaved highways is a philosophy we can all embrace.