Waterborne Transportation News

Dredging of the Cleveland Harbor federal navigation channel by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District and its contractor, Michigan-based Ryba Marine Construction Co., will begin in May. Dredging of harbors like Cleveland’s ensures accessible depths for large vessels, the continued flow of commodities across the Great Lakes, and the economic viability of United States waterways.“Keeping our nation’s ports open for safe navigation is critically important to maintain the environment and economy of the United States,” said Lt. Col. Lyle Milliman, USACE Buffalo District commander.

Candela, manufacturer of zero-emission, electric hydrofoil boats, and Al Seer Marine, a global maritime organization headquartered in Abu Dhabi, announced a partnership to revolutionize waterborne public transportation within the emirate.The partners will work together to introduce Candela's electric hydrofoil boats for public transport use. They will also establish a sales and service network within Abu Dhabi and explore further collaboration opportunities to develop and implement innovative and sustainable public waterborne transport solutions for Abu Dhabi's needs."At Al Seer Marine…

Texas A&M University at Galveston said it will reduce fees for current and future out-of-state students seeking a merchant mariner license from the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, in an effort that aims to help the maritime industry fill worsening labor gaps.Texas A&M Maritime Academy students earn their U.S. Coast Guard license while completing one of several license-option four-year bachelor’s degree programs at Texas A&M at Galveston.Effective September 1, under a new three-tiered fee structure approved by the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents…

The Blue Sky Maritime Coalition (BSMC) has released a new report titled, Roadmap to Net-Zero Emissions: North American Waterborne Transportation, which envisions industry-wide decarbonization by 2050 and identifies the guiding principles and key actions that will help the maritime value chain meet that vision.By understanding what success in 2050 looks like for each stakeholder, the roadmap works backwards to identify the steps and pathways needed to bring that future to reality.

The United States is boosting access to commercial products tankers as part of a security drive to safeguard oil shipping for its armed forces in times of crisis, a top Department of Transportation (DOT) official said.The U.S. flagged commercial fleet comprises a few dozen tankers with the majority involved in domestic trade and there has been concern over possible disruptions to the U.S. economy if those vessels were sought for use by the military, according to a Department of Defense study.The Tanker Security Program has aimed to charter 10 internationally trading vessels for 2023 that can move oil products. Each would receive an annual payment of up to $6 million and had to be U.S. operated and have U.S.

Two new routes have been designated under the U.S. Marine Highway Program (MHP), U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced this week during a visit to Alaska.The newly designated M-11 in Alaska will add over 6,500 miles to the marine highway system, and the M-79 route extends the reach of the Ohio River system by nearly 250 miles in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. These designations allow any eligible applicant on these routes to apply for future U.S. Marine Highway Program grants…

Panama City, Fla. based Eastern Shipbuilding Group has been awarded a contract to design and build a new hopper dredge for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.The $256,955,264 firm-fixed-price contract will see Eastern design and build the new medium-class hopper dredge (MCHD) for scheduled delivery in August 2027. Eastern was one of three bidders for the project.The new 6,000-cubic-yard-capacity hopper dredge will replace the USACE Philadelphia District's high-powered deep draft hopper dredge McFarland, built in 1967.

Offshore service vessels, along with workboats serving harbors and inland rivers, have embarked on an industry-wide voyage toward reduced emissions of greenhouse gasses. Professor Craig Philip, a faculty member with Vanderbilt University’s Center for Transportation and Operational Resilience (VECTOR) and former CEO of Ingram Barge Company, provides this context: “The Maritime Sector has long provided shippers with the most fuel-efficient and sustainable freight transport option…

Houston, Penn.-based Campbell Transportation Company, Inc. (CTC) on Monday announced it has signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire the majority of the marine assets owned by NGL Marine, LLC, a subsidiary of Tulsa, Okla.-based NGL Energy Partners LP.The $111.65 million cash deal, which is expected to be finalized by the end of March, includes a fleet of 13 towboats and 25 tank barges that provide waterborne transportation of refined products and crude oil for customers on the Gulf Coast, NGL said. A majority of the fleet will go to Campbell, and another portion will go to an unnamed buyer.For Campbell, the acquisition marks another step forward in its strategic plan to diversify its marine business line, the company said in a statement.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, together with the state's Department of Transportation (WisDOT), announced grants totaling $5.3 million for seven harbor maintenance and improvement projects to promote waterborne freight and economic development.“From the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, Wisconsin’s unique geography provides our state opportunities to grow our economy and help our businesses reach markets worldwide,” said Gov. Evers. “These grants will help maintain our harbors and ensure our ports are secure and reliable…

The fuel switch in maritime is on, its real, and it will be driving vessel design, construction and operation decisions for decades to come. While many still debate the merits of each alternative fuel, OSV industry leaders are at the forefront driving change, and they need to be, as in North America alone OSVs makes up 17% of the fleet but contributes 29% of the maritime emissions. In the next edition of Offshore Engineer, Barry Parker takes a deeper dive on the plans underway to wean maritime operations off of fossil fuels.

Shipping across the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway system topped 4.2 million tons in October, led by strong gains in grain as well as potash, salt and other dry bulk cargos. Overall grain shipments reached 1.5 million tons, a reflection of the strong late harvest in various regions of the Great Lakes.“It’s great to see these positive numbers for the late harvesting of grain in the U.S. and Canada,” said Bruce Burrows, President & CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “The…

New Orleans-based Canal Barge Company, Inc. has received a Federal Ship Financing Program (commonly known as “Title XI”) loan guarantee amount of $51,458,000 over 25 years for three new towboats and 17 new barges, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced.The loan guarantee approved for Canal Barge Company, Inc. supports the modernization of the company’s barges and towboats, which service the inland waterways of the Ohio, Lower Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.“The Title XI program supports the construction of vessels in U.S.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced that Rear Admiral (Rear Adm.) Ann Phillips, USN, Ret., has been confirmed and sworn in as the 20th Administrator of the Maritime Administration (MARAD). Nominated by President Biden on October 21, 2021, Rear Adm. Phillips was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 10, 2022. She is the first woman to lead MARAD as administrator.“From her distinguished naval service to her leadership on coastal infrastructure, Rear Admiral Ann Phillips has championed America’s maritime sector throughout her career,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District awarded a $4,565,000 contract to Michigan-based Ryba Marine Construction Company on May 17 to conduct dredging of the federal navigation channel in Toledo Harbor and the Maumee River.Dredging of harbors like Toledo’s and rivers like the Maumee ensures accessible depths for large vessels, the continued flow of commodities across the Great Lakes, and the economic viability of United States waterways.“The heavy manufacturing and maritime transportation sectors are at the heart of Northwest Ohio’s economy.

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Ann C. Phillips as Administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), filling a position that has been left vacant at the Department of Transportation (DOT) since January 2021. Phillips was confirmed by a vote of 75-22.Phillips, a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, takes over as head of the DOT's maritime agency amid continued shipping and supply chain disruption as well as historic levels of government funding for maritime and port infrastructure projects. She succeeds Mark Buzby, who resigned from the role in the wake of the insurrection at the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the designation of a new Marine Highway Route, two new Marine Highway Projects, and one Project Designation Extension as part of the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP). While focusing on supply chain efficiency will have nationwide effects, the states of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, California, and Oregon will receive new routes, designations, or extensions.The…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District awarded a $3.85 million contract to Illinois-based Great Lakes Dock and Materials, L.L.C. on March 31 for repairs to the Rochester Harbor East Pier in Rochester, N.Y.Repairs will ensure the pier, along with its adjacent federal navigation channel, continue to provide safe passage and refuge for commercial and recreational vessels between the Genesee River, Lake Ontario and the rest of the Great Lakes.“The Port of Rochester…

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the availability of $25 million in funding for the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP), which supports the development and expanded use of America’s navigable waterways and will help improve U.S. supply chains and the movement of goods throughout the country. These new resources represent the largest single appropriation of funding ever provided to the AMHP and were made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District awarded a $5.98 million contract to Michigan-based Walsh Service Solutions on March 10 to conduct dredging of the federal navigation channel in Cleveland Harbor.Dredging, which is scheduled to take place during two seasonal periods, from May to July and October through December, will ensure accessible depths for large vessels and the continued flow of commodities across the Great Lakes.A total of approximately 250,000 cubic yards of material is contracted to be mechanically dredged from the bed of the harbor between the two periods.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is preparing for major repairs at six of its Mississippi River locks this winter to ensure they continue working as designed.Maintenance is scheduled at Lock and Dam 4, Alma, Wisconsin; Lock and Dam 5A, near Fountain City, Wisconsin; Lock and Dam 6, Trempealeau, Wisconsin; Lock and Dam 7, near La Crescent, Minnesota; Lock and Dam 8, near Genoa, Wisconsin; and Lock and Dam 10, Guttenberg, Iowa.The locks will be closed from Nov.

On February 8, the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, held a second hearing on a 2022 Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) bill. This hearing was a chance for six project sponsors to impress upon legislators why their projects deserved to be on Congress’ final funding list. These were not random projects. Rather, each sponsor spoke on behalf of one of the projects presented in the January 2022 “Chief’s Reports…

Michigan-based Ryba Marine Construction Company has secured a $991,500 contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District to perform dredging of the federal navigation channel in Buffalo Harbor, ensuring accessible depths for large vessels, the continued flow of commodities across the Great Lakes and the economic viability of United States waterways.“In addition to the increase in recreational use along Western New York waterways, the Buffalo and Niagara…