Dredging at the Forefront of Corps' 2020 Work Plan
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' FY2020 Work Plan release on Monday places dredging at the forefront.“We welcome the FY 2020 Work Plan released by the Army Corps,” said William P. Doyle, CEO of the Dredging Contractors of America. “We’re ready – our dredging companies are hard at work on projects and continue to build new dredging ships for America’s ports, waterways and beaches.”The Work Plan is based on the FY2020 Energy and Water Development appropriations bills signed into law by President Trump in December 2019.In December 2019…
Big Wilmington Harbor Dredging Contract for GLDD
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (GLDD) gets Wilmington Harbor anchorage basin deepening contract from Army Corps of Engineers. The contract, worth US$16.4-million, is for the deepening of the anchorage basin portion of the existing navigation channel on the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. This project was awarded to by the Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District and involves the excavation of sand, gravel and rock seabed material. Work is expected to begin before the end of the year.
New USACE Contract
Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co., Inc., Oak Brook, Ill., was awarded on Nov. 18, 2009, a $5,559,750 firm-fixed-price contract for the maintenance dredging, Wilmington Harbor Outer Ocean Bar, Brunswick County, North Carolina. Work is to be performed in Brunswick County, N.C., with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2010. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with two bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Wilmington Office, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-10-C-0004).
Port of Wilmington, N.C. Handles Record Volume of Breakbulk Cargo
For the first time ever, the Port of Wilmington, NC handled over one million tons of breakbulk cargo in one year for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002. "Breakbulk cargo" is classified as any commodity that is shipped in units other than maritime containers or in free flowing "bulk" form. Cargoes contributing to the record-breaking volume of 1,001,728 tons were export woodpulp and import lumber. Woodpulp, which is exported worldwide from Wilmington for the manufacture of higher grades of paper, exceeded last year's volume by 11%. Lumber, imported from northern Europe and Scandinavia for the home improvement and construction industry, increased tonnage by 77% over last year.
Port Safety Pays … and its Costs
Is it a "user fee" or is it a tax? Senator Hollings (D-SC) has formally proposed to the Conference Committee that a Port Security Infrastructure Improvement Program be included in the Port and Maritime Security legislation that is currently under consideration. This is a 'fleshed-out' and somewhat amended version of his earlier barebones proposal. The Program, if adopted, would impose a fee on shippers of cargoes into or out of the United States in various amounts depending upon what was being shipped. The monies collected would go into a Port Security Trust Fund to pay for various port security expenditures. Similar fees would be imposed on cargoes entering the United States through Canada and Mexico.
You've Got Mail: 'Ferry Delayed'
It's never easy being a commuter across Puget Sound. Vessels break, weather intrudes and boats overload. But it just got a little bit easier. Washington State Ferries has introduced a new service to help commuters plan their trips, in spite of breakdowns or weather problems. The new service, email notification, sends electronic messages to customers signed up for a specific route or routes. The service is working for many ferry commuters. More than 900 have signed up, even though the new system is still in the testing mode. "As a commuter, I get as frustrated as anyone when there's a disruption in service, but things do happen," writes Bremerton commuter Edward Shanahan.
