Transportation Modes News

Hornblower Energy LLC, in partnership with the Port of San Franciso, the U.S. Department of Energy and six corporate partners, including Air Liquide and Glosten, is leading a project to demonstrate the feasibility and viability of using hydrogen (H2) as a maritime fuel.The project is located at Pier 68 in San Francisco. DOE selected the project for funding in 2020. It’s supposed to be completed in 2025 but there are important decision dates before then. So far, project activities have concentrated on planning and modeling.

The bridge watch officers on a bulk carrier and an offshore supply vessel were not maintaining a proper lookout before the vessels collided last year near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded.On July 23, 2022, the bulk carrier Bunun Queen was transiting eastbound in the Gulf of Mexico and the offshore supply vessel Thunder was transiting northbound when the vessels collided. The Thunder sustained substantial damage to its port side, which resulted in the flooding of one of its propulsion rooms and three other spaces.

The American Waterways Operators (AWO) is taking action to help address an industry need and a national imperative to recruit, retain and develop the next generation of maritime employees.As much as the tugboat, towboat and barge industry contributes to our nation’s prosperity and security today, we are an industry with an incredibly bright future that has even more to offer in the years to come. Our industry is uniquely positioned to be part of the solution as shipper-customers…

Crowley has invested in REPOWR, a logistics-technology start-up, bringing a technology platform for equipment and asset usage and sharing to the supply chain industry.The platform enables companies to seamlessly share logistics equipment, increasing performance while reducing the environmental impact of ownership. Through the partnership, the companies will advance sustainable solutions for supply chain management for a wider market.REPOWR has developed the collaborative asset-sharing platform to connect logistics companies with more data and analytics to reduce underutilized assets.

Oranje Nassau, a 20-m, 55-passenger sightseeing boat and water taxi operating on Berlin’s urban waterways was recently put back into service after replacing its diesel engine with a fully integrated all-electric propulsion system by Torqeedo.The Torqeedo Deep Blue 50i electric drive is powered by three Deep Blue batteries with 120 kWh capacity which provide energy for a full eight-hour day at operating speeds, recharging from shorepower connections overnight at dockside.Buoyed by the performance of the electrified Oranje Nassau…

Q88 LLC, a provider of software as a service (SaaS) technology to the maritime industry, has launched a new Styrene Monomer Temperature Log and Inhibitor Depletion Tool, available to Milbros Premium Subscribers with ships having Milbros Onboard subscriptions.Styrene Monomer needs to be stowed away from sources of heat during voyages to prevent it from polymerizing. However, during transport on chemical tankers, cooling facilities are not usually available, and there has been an…

Canadian shipping company Algoma Central Corporation announced Monday that it has taken delivery of its new dry bulk carrier Captain Henry Jackman from the Jiangsu Yangzi-Mitsui Shipbuilding Company in China.The vessel is expected to begin trading on the Great Lakes in late June following its transit from China to Canada via the Panama Canal. The voyage is scheduled to commence in mid-April.The Captain Henry Jackman is the fifth Equinox Class gearless dry-bulk carrier and the tenth Equinox Class vessel to join the Algoma fleet. It is also the most efficient.

Crowley Solutions, a provider of energy, maritime, technology and supply chain services for the U.S. government, said it has been awarded a multi-year contract from NATO Support & Procurement Agency (NSPA) for global fuels services consulting.Crowley’s technical experts will be supporting and participating in a NSPA project management team (PMT), while assisting in planning and developing technical aspects of global fuel services requirements for Operational Logistics Support Partnership (OLSP) nations.

The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act was enacted in December 2015. The FAST Act required the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop a National Freight Strategic Plan to address multimodal freight transportation. In the Federal Register of December 27, 2019, DOT requested information from the public, including industry trade groups, to aid development of the National Freight Strategic Plan.This article summarizes certain of the comments that were submitted by Inland Rivers, Ports and Terminals, Inc. (IRPT) in response to DOT’s request.

Using nanotechnology to improve safety and efficiency.For as long as oil and petrochemicals have been in use by transportation, safely managing their highly flammable, toxic, and environmentally damaging vapors has been an ever present challenge. Even with increasing emphasis on safety procedures and better training, these invisible and dangerous vapors continue to result in the loss of life and property. But now, new nanotechnologies can provide safer and faster solutions that were not thought possible with conventional methods.

Even as the minimum Random Drug Testing Rate is raised to 50 PCT, the Coast Guard wants its mission to consist of 90% outreach and just 10% enforcement. Really.The domestic waterfront got some less-than-happy news when the U.S. Coast Guard announced that the calendar year 2019 minimum random drug testing rate had been set at 50 percent of covered crewmembers. It’s safe to say that nobody is happy about it, much less the Coast Guard itself.In truth, the Coast Guard had little to say about the matter. 46 CFR part 16.230(f)(2) requires the Commandant to set the minimum random drug testing rate at 50 percent when the positivity rate for drug use is greater than one percent.

Resilience planning, Info Sharing Take Spotlight“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” That old chestnut gets turned on its head when it comes to port cyber security. It’s more like “Oh what a tangled web we’ve woven, so much harder to stop data stolen.”Ports today have the physical aspect of security pretty well nailed shut - gates, locks, fencing, alarms, cameras, drones, etc. As Chris Mason, Rajant Corp.’s director of sales for EMEA, notes, “Every…

On February 12, President Trump released his highly anticipated infrastructure proposal, a “Legislative Outline for Rebuilding Infrastructure in America.” Unlike prior federal infrastructure development strategies, which rarely discussed the need for maritime infrastructure investment, the proposal places maritime infrastructure on equal footing with other surface transportation modes in terms of potential funding opportunities. The outline contains proposals that would create three new major programs…

The newly released 2016 Indiana Logistics Directory reports that Indiana ranks high nationally in its ability to move freight via truck, rail, water and air. The state is ranked in the top five states in more than 25 logistics-related categories and in the top 10 in 109. The Directory, published by the Ports of Indiana, showcases Indiana's vast transportation infrastructure and includes national logistics rankings, maps and freight statistics. According to the Directory, Indiana ranks first among all states in pass-through interstates, is home to the country's largest producer of truck trailers and is ranked third in truck tractor registrations.

In celebration of Earth Day 2016, The American Waterways Operators (AWO) and Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) released a fact sheet highlighting the many environmental and energy efficiency benefits of our nation’s waterways. Among them, Did You Know... Barge transportation of commodities on our nation’s waterways is the greenest way to move bulk freight. In 2014, 604 million tons of cargo valued at $232 billion moved on the inland waterways system with the lowest environmental impact among surface transportation modes.

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…

The top federal official presiding over the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway presented Indiana Governor Mike Pence with its flagship award today in recognition of an increase in international shipping at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor. Chief executives from the Great Lakes shipping community visited Indianapolis Wednesday to meet with Gov. Pence, Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann as well as public and private leaders from Indiana. During the meetings, U.S. Seaway Administrator Betty Sutton presented the "Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award" to Gov. Pence in recognition of the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor's increase in international shipments through the Seaway during the 2014 navigation season. Sutton is the top executive for the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, a U.S.

An effort to remove the U.S.-build requirement from the Jones Act is being soundly rejected by Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, the largest labor/management coalition ever assembled to promote shipping on America’s Fourth Sea Coast. The Task Force said it sees no benefit to allowing foreign-built vessels to carry cargo between U.S. ports, but warns that nearly 60,000 jobs in the Great Lakes states will be sacrificed for no good reason if the amendment to the Keystone pipeline bill offered by Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) is accepted.

TOTE, Inc. President and CEO Anthony Chiarello is among 11 honored by the White House as 2014 transportation industry “Champions of Change.” Chiarello was chosen for his role in leading the U.S. maritime industry toward natural gas as fuel. TOTE is building the first natural gas-powered containerships in the world to serve Puerto Rico and is converting its ships in Alaska to natural gas; TOTE is the first in the United States to convert its fleet to liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The New York State Canal System, once forgotten as a commercial shipping option, is on the rise again, after years of decline. The shorter, greener and smarter route(s) make increasingly good sense for high value cargoes. Commercial utilization of America’s original superhighway – the Erie Canal – is on the rise again in recent years after years of decline. The third generation of the famed Erie Canal – the “Barge Canal” was constructed between 1905 and 1918. Designed to accommodate up to 10 million tons of cargo per year, the modern Erie Canal peaked at just over 5 million tons in 1951. Then, and with growing competition from railroads and highways, and the opening of the St.

Transportation plays a crucial role in the soybean supply chain. With access to multiple transportation modes, Illinois soybean farmers enjoy significant advantages for reaching domestic and global markets. But aging transportation infrastructure can increase costs for Illinois farmers. Working with business, government and industry leaders, the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) is addressing current infrastructure challenges and finding solutions to ensure Illinois soybean farmers have access to the resources they need to get crops to market.

If there is one thing that we hear time and again in the maritime world is that the manufacture of boats, ships and maritime structures in general is not as efficient as found in larger, mass market transportation modes because of the unique peculiarities of each different vessel. Damen has long been a proponent of standardized production, a concept which is extended to the “Nth” degree via the Damen Modular Barge concept. Despite the name, the “Modular Barge” concept can actually be extended to working vessels…

The forecasts and business strategies of carriers and manufacturers of transport-oriented capital goods indicate the industry is bracing for an era of higher energy prices and increased regulations, according to 'Transportation Outlook', a study conducted by Forbes Insights on behalf of CIT Transportation Finance. “This study highlights the fact that transportation executives are preparing for a future of uncertainty, both in terms of fuel prices and regulations,” said Jeff Knittel , President of CIT Transportation Finance . Fuel prices and rising energy costs are impacting the global economy: More than eight out of 10 (81%) executives say uncertainty surrounding energy policies is hampering global economic recovery.