Important Transportation News

U.S. transportation has steadily become more efficient through advances in engine technology, infrastructure upgrades and increasingly sophisticated logistics networks.The next wave is different. Automation is turning transportation networks into continuously optimizing systems that consume less energy per unit moved, operate for longer hours, reduce labor bottlenecks and reshape demand for fuels and electricity.Across rivers, roads, rail and air, software increasingly determines…

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…

As part of the ongoing Blue Star Delos Renewable Energy Innovation Project, Eco Marine Power (EMP) stated that the Aquarius Management & Automation System (MAS) installed on Blue Star Delos has been updated with new fuel oil consumption (FOC) and emissions monitoring software. This updated software combined with the Aquarius MAS hardware allows for fuel consumption data from all flow meters on the ship to be displayed and logged in real-time. In addition CO2, NOx and SOx emissions are calculated based on the fuel type being used. Data is logged every minute and via a connection to a dedicated GPS unit, the ships location and speed is displayed and logged. A trip-meter is also available so that fuel consumption can be monitored for a specific time period or voyage.

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced that it was recently awarded four contracts with an approximate value of $93 million. Great Lakes received two awards for coastal protection work required along the East Coast as a result of the extensive damage caused by Super Storm Sandy in 2012 and other more recent storms. The first award is a $30 million contract that involves sand replenishment and dune building from Kismet to Seaview on Fire Island, New York. Approximately 1.3 million cubic yards of sand will be dredged and pumped onto the beach. This barrier island helps protect back-bay communities along Great South Bay and Moriches Bay. Work is expected to be complete by December 2016.

Matson, Inc. has promoted Kenny Gill to the position of Vice President, Alaska. In his new role, Gill has management responsibility for all Matson operations in Alaska, including terminal operations, customer service, sales and financial performance of the company's terminals in Anchorage, Kodiak and Dutch Harbor. Gill previously served as Senior Director of Operations for Horizon Lines' Alaska division. His appointment follows Matson's May 29, 2015 acquisition of the Alaska operations of Horizon Lines and subsequent retirement of Marion Davis…

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.

The Windsor Port is key area in the planned $7-billion worth of investments to transform Canada’s most important transportation and trade networks, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway. Approx $60 million has been spent in Windsor to improve infrastructure the last five years. The investment helps ensure Windsor will remain a key port and vital part of the waterway’s growing success, said David Cree, CEO for the Windsor Port Authority. He hoped the public appreciates the scale of investment to keep the seaway modern and efficient. New port investment in Windsor includes the new $30-million HMCS Hunter building at the foot of Mill Street and another $30 million spent improving the Sterling Fuel-Miller Aggregates dock in the 3600 block of Russell Street.

At the St. Lawrence Seaway is one of the most important transportation links in North America. To maximize the efficient use of the seaway, in 2001, the Seaway authorities started to a study which would determine the maximum load ships can carry while maintaining a safe Under-Keel Clearance (UKC). Over the years the maximum draft of vessels transiting the Seaway in the MLO Montreal to Lake Ontario and the Welland Canal has been gradually increased. At the opening of the Seaway in 1959, the maximum draft for ships was set at 6.85 meters (22.5 ft. ).  This maximum draft is now set at (26.5 ft.).

Transas Marine receives approval for Saint Lawrence Seaway Draft Information System. The St. Lawrence Seaway is one of the most important transportation links in North America. To maximize the efficient use of the seaway, in 2001, the Seaway authorities started to a study which would determine the maximum load ships can carry while maintaining a safe Under-Keel Clearance (UKC). Over the years the maximum draft of vessels transiting the Seaway in the MLO Montreal to Lake Ontario and the Welland Canal has been gradually increased.

St. The St. Lawrence Seaway is one of the most important transportation links in North America. To maximize the efficient use of the seaway, in 2001, the Seaway authorities started to a study to determine the maximum load ships can carry while maintaining a safe Under-Keel Clearance (UKC). Over the years the maximum draft of vessels transiting the Seaway in the MLO Montreal to Lake Ontario and the Welland Canal has been gradually increased. At the opening of the Seaway in 1959, the maximum draft for ships was set at 6.85 meters (22 feet 6 inches ).

The St. Lawrence Seaway is one of the most important transportation links in North America. To maximize the efficient use of the seaway, in 2001, the Seaway authorities started to a study which would determine the maximum load ships can carry while maintaining a safe Under-Keel Clearance (UKC). Over the years the maximum draft of vessels transiting the Seaway in the MLO Montreal to Lake Ontario and the Welland Canal has been gradually increased. At the opening of the Seaway in 1959, the maximum draft for ships was set at 6.85 meters (22 feet 6 inches ).

“The inland waterways navigation system is the most important transportation asset in the United States and is vital to the economic well-being of this country. From the inception of this country, the Federal government has played a critical role in ensuring that the inland navigation system, including the Mississippi River, remains open to transport products such as grain, coal, steel, petroleum and aggregate materials. We urgently call on the Federal government today to take all necessary steps to provide funding for this national transportation asset and to allow the Lower Mississippi River to remain fully open for commerce. This year, we have seen unprecedented levels of high water on the Mississippi River carrying millions of tons of silt and debris to the mouth of the River.

Rick Calhoun, President of Cargo Carriers (Cargill) and Chairman of Waterways Council, Inc., released a statement today regarding the state of emergency on the Lower Mississippi River. “The inland waterways navigation system is the most important transportation asset in the United States and is vital to the economic well-being of this country,” Calhoun said.  “We urgently call on the Federal government today to take all necessary steps to provide funding for this national transportation asset and to allow the Lower Mississippi River to remain fully open for commerce.”

Waterways Council, Inc. The failure of Markland’s main chamber miter gate is disturbing for many reasons, namely that the repair could take 90 days or longer to complete. This means that shippers, who rely on the inland waterways system to ship America’s building block commodities such as coal for electric power generation, grain to feed the world market, petroleum products for fuel, steel for construction, or aggregate materials for a myriad of uses, could face serious delays in transporting those cargoes. Consumers, who ultimately receive and benefit from the commodities shipped on the waterways, could incur higher costs and significant delays waiting for those goods. Waterways council, Inc.

Due to rising flood waters, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is closing nine locks and dams on the upper . Lock 16 in , was the first to close on Thursday, June 12. The last to close will be Lock 25 in . The closures will temporarily halt barge traffic on more than 200 miles of the UMR. The Corps of Engineers notified industry of the closures on Sunday June, 8 and update industry and other stakeholders daily. Industry representatives have reported that they have had plenty of warning to get their boats moved out of the closed portion of the river to avoid being trapped.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Web site (www.pancanal.com) received special recognition in the 2003 Golden @ Contest of El Salvador as the "Most Voted For Web site" by users in Central America. Accepted on behalf of the ACP by Roderick Guerra, Ambassador of Panama to El Salvador, the award was sponsored by Microsoft - El Salvador and El Diario de Hoy, a leading newspaper in El Salvador. Launched initially in August of 1998, and updated to the award-winning Web site version in December of 2000, Pancanal.com was constructed by an in-house graphics design team, executing the vision of Webmaster Leyla Raymondo and the ACP Corporate Communications Department.

Critical channel-deepening and environmental projects at the Port of New York and New Jersey will continue to advance under a funding bill approved this week by Congress. The deeper channels will allow new, larger ships to enter the harbor, maintaining the port’s competitive edge as the leading port on the east coast of North America. The fiscal year 2004 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill, which funds U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civil works projects, includes $110 million for channel-deepening projects in the port. The funding will allow for the continuation of federal channel-deepening projects under construction in the Kill van Kull-Newark Bay, the Arthur Kill and Port Jersey channels.

Public seaports across the United States are weighing in this week on the Administration's requested Fiscal Year 2006 federal budget. Ports are deeply concerned about recommended elimination of the Department of Homeland Security's Port Security Grant Program by lumping it into a sweeping new program that combines the security infrastructure needs of seaports with those of trains, trucks, busses and other public transit. In addition, ports are concerned about the Administration's proposed budget, which would significantly under-fund the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Civil Works program and needed deep-draft dredging projects. "Protecting America's marine facilities from acts of terrorism must be a top Administration priority and a shared responsibility between the ports…

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.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced steps the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is taking to implement President Bush’s executive order regarding environmental stewardship and the streamlining of environmental review of important transportation infrastructure projects. The executive order calls for a Cabinet-level task force reporting to the President through the chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality to ensure that environmentally sound projects are not held up unnecessarily by inefficient review procedures. “Too many transportation projects become mired for too long in the complex web of clearances required by federal and state law.

For years, general manufacturing companies have enjoyed the benefit of laser cutting systems for producing complex or simple parts in batch volumes as low as one, and as high as tens of thousands. The laser is an incredibly powerful tool that remains unsurpassed in manufacturing activities across the world. As flexible and reconfigurable production tool that provides welding, cutting and machining capabilities in a single device, lasers are readily automated and have demonstrated that they can easily operate in "lights-out" mode for even greater productivity. With all this said, why aren't there any laser shipyards? Why hasn't one of the worlds largest and most important transportation industries rushed to implement laser cutting and welding technology?

Arie Van Tol, a veteran Port Authority employee who currently manages the New York Marine Terminals, has been honored for more than 30 years of distinguished service to the bistate agency and the maritime community, Port Commerce Director Richard M. Larrabee announced today. Larrabee presented Van Tol, a Montville, N.J., resident, with the Lillian C. Borrone Award, given to individuals who render unusually effective service to the port community. The award is named for Lillian C. Borrone, a longtime director of the Port Authority’s Port Commerce Department who retired in 2001. “Arie is the consummate maritime industry professional who cares deeply about the Port Authority’s maritime terminal facilities and its tenants,” Mr. Larrabee said.