Navigation Channel News

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has caused supply chain disruption on the US East Coast but, so far, it has not seen an increase in ocean freight container shipping rates.Data released Monday by Xeneta reveals average spot rates from the Far East into the US North East Coast (including Baltimore) have fallen slightly (-1%) since the bridge collapse on March 26 to stand at USD 5,421 per FEU (40ft shipping container).When including other US East Coast ports such as New York / New Jersey…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday it expects to open a new channel to the Port of Baltimore by the end of April, freeing up commercial shipping blocked by a collapsed bridge, and then restore port access to full capacity by the end of May.The main channel has been blocked by wreckage since the fully loaded container ship Dali lost power and rammed into a support column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, killing six road workers and causing the highway bridge to tumble into the Patapsco River.The Army Corps…

Dutch dredging contractor Van Oord reports it is carrying out dredging works in the Port of Krishnapatnam, India.The depth of the port channels must be restored after a severe cyclone Michaung caused siltation in the port area. The Port of Krishnapatnam, now owned by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited, selected Van Oord for the project.Van Oord said it is deploying trailing suction hopper dredger HAM 318 to dredge the navigation channel of the port to the required depth…

The 2023 navigation season has drawn to a close on the Upper Mississippi River.A 15-barge tow pushed by the towboat Thomas Erickson, the last of the season, departed Lock and Dam 10, near Guttenberg, Iowa, December 3, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District said.The 2023 season commence March 12, when the towboat Phillip M Pfeffer broke its way through the ice of Lake Pepin to travel to St. Paul, Minnesota.With the 2023 navigation season in the rearview, St. Paul District staff will remain busy this coming winter with maintenance projects at Lock and Dam 2…

Pacific Northwest seaports Seattle and Tacoma have signed design agreements with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for a pair of waterway navigation improvement projects.The Seattle Navigation Improvement Project, authorized by Congress in 2018, and the Tacoma Harbor Navigation Improvement Project, authorized in 2022, are part of a comprehensive modernization initiative for The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) gateway that began nearly a decade ago.Containerships navigating in the trans-Pacific trade are increasing in size…

Maintaining a nine-foot channel on the Mississippi River is part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District’s critical navigation mission, especially during low-water conditions. Although early spring snowmelt caused flooding throughout the upper Midwest this past year, water levels receded quickly, causing large amounts of material to settle in the channel.To aid in channel maintenance, geological surveyors regularly monitor water levels throughout the District.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, began dredging the Mississippi River navigation channel near Brownsville, Minn., in Pool 8 this week to ensure the channel remains open for commercial navigation.Dredging is expected to continue in this area through Labor Day.The Above Brownsville Placement Site, known locally as Crater Island, will be closed during this time when needed for dredging operations.The St. Paul District maintains a 9-foot navigation channel and 13 locks and dams from Minneapolis to Guttenberg, Iowa on the Upper Mississippi River.

The Panama Canal Authority on Wednesday notified shippers it is extending through September 2 restrictions for vessels to transit through the waterway and keeping the number of vessels authorized to pass per day to a maximum of 32.The Canal restrictions, implemented in recent months as the rainy season in Panama has come late this year, could add more pressure on consumer goods prices, according to maritime firms and experts, as delays and extra fees add to shipping costs.The Panama Canal is key for moving consumer goods from Asia to the United States…

Extreme weather events—including both high and low water levels—can wreak havoc on inland waterways transport. In late 2022, severe drought conditions brought the latter to the Mississippi River Basin, underlining the importance of America’s dredging fleet.When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Memphis District's dredge Hurley returned to its home port, Ensley Engineer Yard, in Memphis Harbor, on January 13, 2023, it wrapped its longest, most productive season on record.

A grounding incident was avoided thanks to swift action by a team of harbor tugs and pilots aboard a Panamanian registered containership that lost power in Southampton, U.K., according to a local pilots group.At around 11 a.m. on January 26, the 20,000 TEU containership MOL Treasure departed the Port of Southampton bound for Le Harve, amid good, though gusty, weather conditions, with clear visibility and calm seas. But not more than an hour into the passage, the 400-meter-long MOL Treasure developed a significant reduction in engine power.An escort tug was already present…

A shipping channel snafu is slowing Chevron Corp’s efforts to load tankers at one of its four Venezuelan joint ventures and bring heavy crude to the United States, three people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.Washington in November authorized the last major U.S. firm still operating in Venezuela to restore lost output and begin exporting oil as a way to encourage talks between Nicolas Maduro’s government and the country’s political opposition.But a plan to move heavy…

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted the most notable newbuilds delivered in 2022. From sturdy and nimble workboats, to the first new Jones Act laker in a generation, each vessel on display showcases the industry’s engineering prowess and technological ingenuity, with the focus on improving efficiency in operations. The maritime industry has no shortage of challenges to overcome, and each of Marine News’ top vessels will, in one way or another, aid efforts to tackle them.Mark W.

A pilot's decision to reduce the speed of a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier resulted in reduced rudder effectiveness, ultimately leading to a collision with a moored tug on the Neches River, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found.In November 2021, a state licensed pilot from the Sabine Pilots took navigational control of the 754-foot-long Gas Ares as it was heading to load a cargo of propane and butane at the no. 1 loading dock at Sunoco Logistics, located in Nederland, Texas, on the Neches River.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District (USACE) developed an environmental analysis in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended. The Final Environmental Assessment (EA) dated 30 September 2022, for Lower Columbia River Navigation Channel Dredged Material Transfer Site (W-60.9-IW-T) addresses the project purpose to provide an in-water holding area for temporary storage of dredged material from the lower Columbia River (LCR) federal navigation…

An Inland River Transportation Caucus could help inland river transportation interests that are often misunderstood and greatly undervalued.For anyone doing business on the inland river transportation system, the goal is to keep the rivers open for business, the barges moving and the landside facilities efficient in order to keep America’s supply chain strong.To accomplish this, it takes the federal agencies that are charged with operating and maintaining inland rivers to have the support of congress, the funding congress allocates and legislation passed by congress.

The United States' largest dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation on Wednesday announced the receipt of $107 million in new contract awards along the U.S. East Coast.The awarded dredging work includes: Norfolk Harbor Navigation Improvements Project (Capital, Virginia, $56.8 million), Charleston Lower Harbor Maintenance Dredging Project (Maintenance, South Carolina, $15.4 million), Tampa Harbor Maintenance Dredging 45-Foot Project (Maintenance, Florida, $13 million)…

Midwest Construction Company, of Nebraska City, Nebraska, was awarded a contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make repairs to river training structures on the Missouri River.The $27 million for the repair work comes from the BIL – Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation – and is expected to be the first of several separate contracts awarded in the next 12 months to support navigation on the Missouri River. The repairs from this contract will be between river miles 140 to 260 - approximately from Jefferson City, Mo.

EJE Dredging Service, as part of a public/private partnership with Dare County, has taken delivery of a new shallow-draft hopper dredge on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.The newbuild Miss Katie departed from Conrad Shipyard in in Morgan City, La. on August 13, and arrived at its new home port in Wanchese on August 19.The dredge is the result of a yearslong collaboration between Dare County officials and Greenville, N.C.-based EJE Dredging Service, a private partner that owns and operates the 156-foot-long dredge.“With the arrival of the Miss Katie…

New Jersey-based marine services company Donjon Marine Co. Inc., has secured a contract to perform maintenance dredging in Flushing Bay and Creek, in Queens, N.Y.Donjon Marine was one of two online bidders for the $23,970,800 contract, which was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) New York District. Work is scheduled to be completed by October 31, 2022. The Flushing Creek, also known as Flushing River, is a waterway that flows northward through the borough of Queens in New York City…

An emergency dredging project is set to begin and be completed by the end of August to restore navigability in the Murderkill River, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced on Tuesday. Permitted by and with modification approvals from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and DNREC regulators, the project calls for removing approximately 52,000 cubic yards of sediment from the river’s navigation channel. DNREC will then make beneficial reuse of the dredged sand to nourish up to 1…

Houston-based dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge and Dock has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Memphis District for the rental of a 24-inch hydraulic cutterhead dredge, discharge pipe, and attendant plant for harbor dredging along the Mississippi River.The $7,335,450 contract was awarded June 2, 2022, with an anticipated completion date of February 28, 2023.A total of nine harbors were awarded, with actual dredging scheduled to take place from July 1, 2022, through December 2022.

More than a half a billion dollars in recent, current or expected improvements at three Midwestern ports will strengthen these facilities and reinforce their important roles in the global freight network. The significant investments at Port KC, America’s Central Port, and Kaskaskia Regional Port District, along with new infrastructure funding recently secured, will spur an increase in barge services and deliver cost efficiencies that drive profitability for the industry. Port KC is located on the Missouri River.

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.