Illinois Rivers News

New loading equipment was recently delivered to Port Milwaukee for The DeLong Co., Inc. agricultural maritime export facility.The Made in America ship loader traveled more than 1,500 miles by barge from New Orleans, up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to Jones Island. This equipment is capable of loading 40,000 bushel/1100 ton per hour onto both vessels and barges.The ship loader, which is currently being installed on Jones Island, will serve as the heart of DeLong’s loading…

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.

Key stakeholders behind the efforts to launch innovative container-on-vessel (COV) service to the Midwest on Firday announced that Hawtex Development Corporation is signing on as the lead developer for a new COV port facility in Jefferson County, Mo. to be developed in collaboration with Fred Weber/Riverview Commerce Park LLC and integrating a 300+ acre adjacent parcel owned by The Doe Run Company. The new port will be a critical link on the new, all-water, north-south trade lane connecting the Midwest and the St. Louis region to the lower Mississippi River and on to worldwide destinations.

As cargo handling capacity increases along the Mississippi River, this 15-mile section of the Mighty Mississippi is being called the Ag Coast. Located in the heartland of America, one 15-mile section of the Mississippi River in the St. Louis, Missouri, region delivers the highest level of grain barge handling capacity anywhere along the Mighty Mississippi. In fact, it is now being called the “Agriculture or Ag Coast” of America in terms of barge transfer facilities for agricultural products. To sustain and grow this impressive market share, infrastructure investment in multimodal interconnectivity is critical. And as production and demand for commodities like corn and soybeans continue to increase, the St.

Plans have been put in motion to develop a new intermodal container terminal on the lower Mississippi River. Designed to service the largest ocean carriers, the new 1,000 acre container terminal will be capable of docking vessels up to 20,000 TEU with deep-water access and 21,600 linear feet of waterfront allow for multiple ocean and APCT vessels to be accommodated simultaneously. The container port, located between mile 50 and 55 on the Mississippi River, will be the southern-most full service port complex on the river…

TPG Marine Enterprises, LLC is an operations, logistics and consulting company that specializes in all aspects of cargo movement on the Inland Waterways System. The firm owns and operates eight facilities in the Midwest and has about 200 employees. TPG Marine has interests in terminals servicing the Ohio, Green and Illinois Rivers along with a shipyard in Chicago. TPG brings innovation, efficiency, professionalism and harbor service/shipyard infrastructure (new dry docks, new cranes, new boats, and SOTA cleaning equipment to inland rivers facilities.

Rapidly rising floodwaters brought barge traffic to a near standstill on the middle section of the Mississippi River on Monday, halting shipments of goods such as soybeans, concrete and road salt, government officials and traders said. The deadly storms have killed more than 40 people in flooding and tornadoes, snarling air and road traffic during one of the busiest travel times of the year. The rain and snowfall were washing into Midwestern rivers, making it dangerous to operate barges and almost impossible to load them, barge traders said. The Mississippi River at St. Louis was expected to rise to nearly 45 feet (13.7 metres) by Thursday, which would be the second-highest crest after the record of 49.58 feet (15 metres) on Aug. 1, 1993, according to the National Weather Service.

With America's population expected to grow by 70 million over the next 30 years, moving the goods that enrich our lives --and the freight that fuels our economy-- will be a key challenge. As our Beyond Traffic draft framework indicates, by 2045, the volume of goods on our roads, rail, air, and water will increase 45 percent or more. Because tomorrow's looming increase will pose a significant burden on our transportation system, we must prepare to handle that freight now by developing and investing in solutions today. The good news is that DOT is working to do just that. Our Nation’s navigable waterways offer us a terrific, underused resource, and the Maritime Administration’s Marine Highway Program works to incorporate that excess capacity into the U.S.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has designated three new Marine Highway Projects. The Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, previously designated as the M-55 and M-35, connecting Chicago and Minneapolis to New Orleans, will serve as the primary routes for a new container-on-barge service being developed by communities along the rivers. The M-495 Potomac River Commuter Ferry Project will connect work and residential centers located along the Potomac, Occoquan and Anacostia Rivers…

Indiana-based TPG Mt. Vernon Marine, LLC purchased Chicago Dry Dock, a Chicago area shipyard founded in 1979. Chicago Dry Dock operates on the Calumet River and offers unencumbered access to both the Great Lakes (via Lake Michigan) and the Inland River System (via the Calumet/Des Plaines/Illinois Rivers). Founded as Kern Barge Cleaning and Repair, CDD purchased its first dry dock in 1995 and was renamed and incorporated as Chicago Dry Dock in 1996. Operating from seven acres less than three river miles from Lake Michigan…

1852-Georgia grounded in a gale off Bonds, New Jersey with 290 persons on board. The life car was used to save them and all survived. 1883-The schooner Pallas with a crew of three men encountered strong head winds and heavy seas off Cape Cod, MA. About half past 5 in the morning, abreast of Nausett lights, she sprung a leak and became unmanageable. Being close to the breakers, the crew was fearful they would be washed overboard as soon as she struck and took to their boat. Fortunately, they were discovered by the Nausett Station keeper, pulling vigorously to keep away from the surf. The surfboat was launched and the three men rescued. They were brought ashore by the life-saving crew, though not without a thorough drenching because the station boat was nearly swamped on the bar.

Last August Raina Clark began the story of her eight day trip on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers on the towboats Theresa Wood and Thomas E. Erickson, both chartered by AEP River Operations and owned and by Marquette Transportation. She described the working lives of the crew, how the relationship between the boats and the lock facilities has changed since 9/11, a river boat captain who built his crew into a tightly knit team and the uniqueness of the Upper Mississippi. In this third and final installment…

In early July, Raina Clark, Managing Editor for MarineNews, spent eight days on the Upper Mississippi and the Illinois Rivers on towboats — the Theresa Wood and the Thomas E. Erickson. Both vessels are chartered by AEP River Operations and owned and operated by Marquette Transportation. Raina traveled first aboard the Theresa Wood on the Mississippi River from Winfield, Mo. to Guttenberg Wis. Then she crossed the state of Illinois to catch the Thomas E. Erickson southbound on the Illinois River from Pekin, Ill. back to the confluence of the Mississippi River.

In early July, Raina Clark, Managing Editor for MarineNews, spent eight days on the Upper Mississippi and the Illinois Rivers on towboats — the Theresa Wood and the Thomas E. Erickson. Both vessels are chartered by AEP River Operations and owned and operated by Marquette Transportation. Raina traveled first aboard the Theresa Wood on the Mississippi River from Winfield, Mo. to Guttenberg Wis. Then she crossed the state of Illinois to catch the Thomas E. Erickson southbound on the Illinois River from Pekin, Ill. back to the confluence of the Mississippi River.

1852-Georgia grounded in a gale off Bonds, New Jersey with 290 persons on board. The life car was used to save them and all survived. 1883-The schooner Pallas with a crew of three men encountered strong head winds and heavy seas off Cape Cod, MA. About half past 5 in the morning, abreast of  Nausett lights, she sprung a leak and became unmanageable. Being close to the breakers, the crew was fearful they would be washed overboard as soon as she struck and took to their boat. Fortunately, they were discovered by the Nausett Station keeper, pulling vigorously to keep away from the surf. The surfboat was launched and the three men rescued. They were brought ashore by the life-saving crew, though not without a thorough drenching because the station boat was nearly swamped on the bar.

U.K.-based EJ Bowman has manufactured its range of marine heat exchangers and oil since 1919. The company recently had its range of hydraulic EC to PK shell and tube oil coolers design approved for marine use by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and now hold certificate no. 02-LD302798-PDA. Bowman heat exchangers and oil coolers are suitable for use on engines up to 1,400 kW (1,880 hp) and for gear boxes up to 1,800 kW (2,400 hp). As a result of this design approval EJ Bowman are exhibiting at the Workboat Show in New Orleans in December 2003. Guests at Universal Orlando theme parks benefit from complimentary, on-site transportation to and from its resort hotels and theme park attractions.

An independent committee of the National Research Board tasked with reviewing a re-structured navigation and environmental study of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers today issued a mixed initial review of the study, suggesting that the 12-year, $67 million study be extended again beyond the current six-year extension, while at the same time urging action to move forward: "at some point, scientists and managers must decide that existing data are sufficient to allow for management actions to be implemented" (page 21). One of the committee's criticisms concerned grain export projections, citing them to be too high. "Everyone understands that grain export projections are a moving target," said S. Richard Tolman, Chairman of MARC 2000 and CEO of the National Corn Growers Association.

Prejudicial, Premature or Both? actions to be implemented" (page 21). One of the committee's criticisms concerned grain export projections, citing them to be too high. "Everyone understands that grain export projections are a moving target," said S. Richard Tolman, Chairman of MARC 2000 and CEO of the National Corn Growers Association. "But if we plan to capture a growing market share, we have to stop relying on 70-year-old lock and dam infrastructure and start a long-term program to support export demand well into the future. now let's get our domestic policy synchronized," he continued. 2000. similar," commented Mr. Brescia. Suggestions that the existing traffic needs to be managed more efficiently have been studied.

Kirby Corporation – which operates 774 inland tank barges, with 14.0 million barrels of capacity, and 229 towing vessels -- reported net earnings for the 2000 first quarter of $6,067,000, or $.25 per share. Net earnings for the 1999 first quarter were $4,001,000, or $.20 per share. The 2000 first quarter results include the acquisition in October 1999 of Hollywood Marine, Inc., accounted for under the purchase method of accounting. Movements in each of Kirby's inland tank barge markets were generally at, or above, expected levels. Refined products movements to the Midwest were unseasonably strong, the result of gasoline inventory anomalies in the Midwest. Fertilizer movements were also stronger than usual during the first quarter.

The U.S. Senate passed legislation to improve transportation on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers for Midwestern farmers shipping bulk commodities. The legislation provided $2 million for the initial phase of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois waterway system navigation modernization project. The project will redesign and expand seven locks -- five on the Mississippi and two on the Illinois -- that currently delay shipments on the river because the locks are too small to handle modern-sized barge tows. Modernizing locks is considered important because barge transportation is one of the cheapest ways to move bulk commodities.

Daniel P. Mecklenborg, First Vice Chairman and General Counsel of Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) (and Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Ingram Barge Company) testified today on behalf of WCI before the Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, U.S. House of Representatives. The topic of Mr. Mecklenborg’s testimony was the current status and future of the Nation’s inland waterway navigation infrastructure, including trends in the industry and the next decade’s needs. In his testimony, Mecklenborg offered recommendations for consideration as appropriations legislation is debated. Timely appropriations.

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI ) commended the bipartisan approval last night by the U.S. House of Representatives of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). The legislation authorizes critically important projects on the inland waterways including the modernization of seven locks along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, and projects on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway at Bayou Sorrel and Matagorda Bay. The final vote was 381-40 to pass the WRDA conference report in the House, underscoring our Nation’s commitment to remain economically competitive. “The action taken in the House to pass WRDA should be applauded by the Nation as a whole,” said R. Barry Palmer, WCI President.

Released on February 7, President Bush's FY 2006 proposed budget requests the highest funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works program in many years. It demonstrates the Bush Administration's increasing understanding of the myriad benefits of the nation's inland waterways system and the need to nurture, not neglect, this critically important transportation system. The budget request underscores the President's goal to keep the Nation economically strong and competitive. This budget request of $4.513 billion proposes FY '06 spending of $184 million from the dedicated Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF) for the modernization of priority, Congressionally-approved locks and dams on the inland system.