Waterways

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit claiming that a wide federal canal has expanded well beyond the boundaries set in a 1920s agreement and is eating away at state land in Louisiana.

The Maryland Port Authority agreed to a six-month deal with Suzano Pulp and Paper as Baltimore looks to beat Philadelphia for market share.

The National Audubon Society has deemed the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, a $1.3 billion Mississippi River diversion planned for lower Plaquemines Parish, a key project necessary to protect and restore bird populations along the U.S. Gulf Coast, according to a new report from the environmental-advocacy group.

These maps are both data-rich and absolutely gorgeous. You're looking at watershed maps, showing the flow of tributary streams into main rivers, and of those water courses into the sea (or final destinations inland).

An estimated 90% of world trade is facilitated by maritime shipping, and as trade volumes continue to increase, the world’s busiest ports continue to grow larger and more efficient to meet demand.

Monday, February 11, 2019, 2:06 PM - Canada's $227-million fleet of mid-shore coast guard vessels are rolling "like crazy" at sea, making crews seasick and keeping some ships in port during weather conditions where they should be able to operate, CBC News has learned.

MIAMI — A federal judge late Monday afternoon unexpectedly threw out the South Florida Water Management District's attempt to get out from under the court's oversight of Everglades restoration projects.

At midnight on February 12, 1983, the 605-foot cargo ship Marine Electric was sailing northward 30 miles off Virginia's eastern shore, plowing slowly through the gale-force winds and waves stirred up by a winter storm.

Regulators say ports needs to do more if it’s going to disturb marine habitats as part of turning basin widening project

NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey recently announced plans to change the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) maintained channel depth values on raster nautical chart products, which include paper nautical charts and the corresponding digital raster navigational charts (NOAA RNC®).

The city of Milton is withdrawing its request for more than a half million dollars in RESTORE Act funding to improve the Quinn Street marina after officials say the initial request for funding was woefully underestimated.

It was standing room only as an energized crowd of moms and mayors, storekeepers and biologists gave the Army Corps of Engineers an earful Tuesday. The Corps, which is in charge of Lake Okeechobee, is hosting a series of meetings around its watershed to listen to citizens about how it manages the third largest lake within the continental United States.

The International Marine Organization’s new regulations limit the sulfur content in marine fuels used by ocean-going vessels in international waters to 0.5% by weight starting in January 2020. This change will have wide-scale repercussions for the shipping industry and refineries in the United States and worldwide.

VANCOUVER — Indigenous groups in Canada and the United States are calling for a study of how human activity has degraded the waters off British Columbia's coast before any new vessel traffic is allowed in the area, where port and pipeline activities are on the rise.

It was just a few words in one sentence of Gov. Henry McMaster’s “State of the State” speech last month, but that single phrase has raised a lot of hopes — in turns out false — in the coastal city of Georgetown.

Bay Area commuters may have another way to get to work on the horizon: hovercraft. Especially for those living or working in the South Bay, San Jose and Silicon Valley.

Having officially laid out its Arctic policy last year, 2018 was an eventful year for China in the far North.

The Port of Long Beach (POLB) is receiving more than $147 million in public and private funds to develop six projects for zero-emissions equipment and advanced energy systems for its operations. These projects are intended to demonstrate the feasibility of meeting the goals outlined in the 2017 Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP), which called for a transition to zero-emissions cargo-handling equipment by 2030 and zero-emissions trucks by 2035. CAAP pertains to both POLB and the Port of Los Angeles.

The $12.7 million dredging project scheduled for Daufuskie Island this year will vacuum up underwater material on west side of the island and relocate it out to sea in an effort to maintain the Intracoastal Waterway, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Savannah.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Freight rates for dry-bulk and container ships, carriers of most of the world's raw materials and finished goods, have plunged over the last six months in the latest sign the global economy is slowing significantly.

LNG carrier operations in the Russian High Arctic and the Baltic Sea have extended the operational envelope of ice class gas shipping

The keel has been laid for Ceiba, a 148-foot, three-masted, square-topsail schooner being built by Sailcargo Inc. in Costa Rica.

LEWISTON, Idaho — Removing four dams from the Snake River won't help orcas, salmon, the environment or the economy, the head of the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association says.

As we quickly approach the turning point of a new decade, there is much speculation on what would be decided in terms of regulations imposed on the shipping activity.

For many, the Northeast Passage through the Arctic could one day be a ‘Northern Suez Canal’. While icy waters have frozen such dreams, recent advances in nuclear technology might finally unlock the full economic potential of the once-daunting Arctic waters.

Booming U.S. oil exports have set off a scramble to build Gulf Coast ports to handle more than 3 million barrels per day in new supplies expected over the next five years.

The news that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has placed a US$93-million order with Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company for the deepening and widening of its ship channel at the Port of Corpus Christi (PortCC) broke last week in what was still a sluggish news environment. But it is significant news: this is the first step the federal U.S. government has made to support efforts to boost crude oil exports and it is also the first step in a competition dance between the Port of Corpus Christi and commodity major Trafigura.

Two projects to power ships with hydrogen fuel cells have received funding under a Norwegian environmental scheme. The Pilot-E initiative, organised by Norway’s Research Council, Innovation Norway and Enova, supports several environmental projects each year. Of the six to receive funding in the latest round, two are in the commercial marine sector and feature hydrogen fuel cells.

NORFOLK, VA. -- What are said to be the largest cranes to operate at a U.S. commercial port arrived Monday in Virginia, marking the latest effort to accommodate the increasingly mammoth container ships that underpin international trade.

Thirty years in the planning, dredging should begin soon in the Corpus Christi Channel Improvement Project. The first construction contract has been awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. LLC of Oak Brook, Illinois.

Former Governor Charlie Crist’s “River of Grass” dream ended quietly last week when the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board terminated the state’s option on 153,209 acres of U.S. Sugar’s holdings. Without this action, the option agreement would have expired Oct. 11, 2020.

The bulker Anglo Alexandria went aground Friday morning in the Lower Mississippi River, backing up vessel traffic in both directions near the river's mouth.

“I always compare it to the gold rush in the American West,” Humpert said. “Initially, it was this very arduous trek reserved for specialized people looking for resources, then it became more mainstream.”

Arctic waters may be drawing more shipping traffic, but ice conditions are growing less certain, causing conflicts to flare up in communities across the North.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) low sulfur emissions regulation is all set to come to force starting 2020, with container lines bracing themselves for a scenario that would have the single largest bearing on its margins going forward.

As 2018 is reaching its end, we decided to provide a recap of the key developments mixed with subsequent challenges that shaped the maritime landscape of this year. From the unprecedented opportunities that blockchain brought on the spotlight, to the unforeseen evolvement of the shipping regulatory framework that shifted the industry toward a more sustainable approach, the past year claims the title of a turning point for the future of shipping.

OGDENSBURG, NY — A $940,000 grant announced by state officials Monday will help whittle the costs associated with dredging Ogdensburg Harbor and extending the port’s dock, but there is still nearly a $10 million gap to fill before the more than $24 million initiative becomes a reality.

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) has warned US member ports what to expect in the event of a government shutdown.

The port of Buenos Aires, the principal maritime port of Argentina, has unveiled a modernization plan, with an investment of 1.9 billion dollars over 50 years, to separate cargo and cruise operations.

DP World has joined forces with industrial engineering company SMS Group for the 'high-bay storage' system for shipping containers. Thanks to the rack´s design, each container can be accessed without having to move another one, enabling 100 percent utilization in a terminal yard.

Built in the 1960s, the Port of Alaska in Anchorage needs more than $1 billion to replace old docks and remove what it says was earlier botched construction work. The port was spared from serious damage by the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that rocked the south central part of the state on Nov. 30, but it says more than $1 billion of work may be needed if the port is to remain viable beyond the next decade.

The Baltimore County Council unanimously approved a $78 million grant Monday night to fund infrastructure at the 3,100-acre Tradepoint Atlantic development.

How can tiny air bubbles and giant rotating cylinders help ships, weighing thousands of tonnes, burn less fuel?

The government’s preferred plan for better protecting the coast will take billions of dollars, political will and community buy-in, ingredients that aren’t always easy to come by.

SEABROOK, N.H. — In the wake of a recent push for the dredging of Hampton Harbor, four Seacoast state representatives are filing a bill to create a fund to cover costs of future dredging projects.

Maersk has had its credit rating cut by ratings agency Moody’s to one grade above junk, with the agency concerned about a “significant downside” for the container industry.

According to the World Ocean Review, shipping by sea is responsible for about 3 percent of the world's total carbon emissions.

'Rotor sails' can replace up to half a ship's engine propulsion on a windy day, Norsepower says

Russian Arctic sea route expected to see ‘explosive growth’ in cargo shipping Year-round cargo navigation is expected along Russia’s Northern Sea Route (NSR) in the near future, according to NSR’s developer Rosatom. It expects rapid growth of cargo turnover on the route.

Maersk has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2050 but says an acceleration in new innovations and adaption of new technology is required to meet this goal.

The Port of Baltimore is getting a $6.5 million federal grant to build an additional 50-foot-deep berth to accommodate large container ships.

The Federal Maritime Commission Authorization Act of 2017 was signed into law by President Donald Trump on Dec. 4, 2018, marking the first substantive revision to the U.S. Shipping Act since 1998. The amended Act signals an important development for the maritime industry in the U.S. It is aimed at preserving competition in U.S. trades and assuring future capital investment in maritime and transportation infrastructure, the vital link in supply chains across the U.S. and the world.

The Arctic Economic Council (AEC) says it welcomed Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) and Nunavut Fisheries Association (NFA) from Canada as members to the pan-Arctic business community.

A regional terminal for cargo heading from the Port of Savannah to area companies could open in 2021 at the Gateway Industrial Centre off Ga. 365 in North Hall.

Heavily damaged during Hurricane Katrina 13 years ago, the Port of Gulfport has completed a $570 million expansion and restoration project, WXXV reports. The Gulfport-based television station reported that the port has grown to 300 acres -- almost twice the size before Katrina hit in 2005.

Nutria weigh up to 30 pounds, they're semi-aquatic and they're destroying Louisiana wetlands

The S.C. Ports Authority has been allocated $41.1 million in federal funds to continue dredging work in the Charleston Harbor deepening project, which will yield the deepest harbor on the East Coast.

Country's big bet on its future faces stiff challenge from global trade tensions

Outside of the domestic steel industry, it’s difficult to find anyone, anywhere, with a favorable view of the current tariff-induced trade war. Sizeable spikes in steel prices and an uncertain future have many industrial owners wringing their hands, as an estimated one-third of their capital dollars is spent on steel products.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers set aside another $59 million for the Port of Corpus Christi’s Channel Improvement Project. The dredging, which has been on the port’s wish list since 1990, is finally building up a stockpile that should allow work to continue in 2019. The projected end date is 2021, when the new Harbor Bridge opens and the old Harbor Bridge is taken down.

Fuel Cells For Marine Vessels Market 2018: Promising Growth Opportunities With Global Key Companies

“What’s happening is the increased accessibility of going through the Bering Strait for a longer period of time each year because of climate change and the opening up of what is referred to by many as a new ocean. And that would be the Arctic.”

Boats in North Carolina that sank after being pummeled by Hurricane Florence were raised by salvage companies—and then sunk again.

Port Freeport, in the middle of the Texas Gulf Coast, began handling autos in June 2015. Last year, Horizon Terminal Services processed about 45,000 new vehicles for General Motors, and volumes are up about 30 percent through the first three quarters of 2018, said Jason Miura, the port's business development manager.

The Government of Canada is committed to protecting the marine environment, including marine mammals, and ensuring navigational safety for mariners, fishers, recreational boaters and all users of Canada’s oceans and waterways. Today, the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, lifted the mandatory speed restriction for vessels in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to ensure ships can operate safely in winter months.

A.P. Moller - Maersk expects tariffs to take a bite out of the ocean shipping industry in 2019, according to executives on a recent earnings call.

To serve larger container ships coming into the Port of Wilmington, N.C. Ports is seeking to move forward with the second phase of its turning basin expansion.

Work slowdowns by longshoremen at the port of Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal are disrupting operations so much that some shipping line customers may move their cargo shipments to other ports, the Steamship Trade Association of Baltimore said in a court filing.

The Port of Corpus Christi's plans for Harbor Island are still in the planning stages, but the scope of the project will not be as far-reaching as initially proposed.

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on Monday awarded more than $3 million to support four projects that will help improve water quality in and around Long Beach as part of the Port Community Grants Program.

This time around, the fight may well come down to what’s more valuable to South Florida: dollars from mega ships or the health of the only inshore reef tract in the U.S. that also protects the coast from hurricanes.

“We are getting increasing evidence that, in addition to a strong economy, some of this volume spike may be accounted for by customers advancing shipments to avoid pending tariffs slated to take effect in January,” said SCPA President and CEO Jim Newsome.

Turn time is the bench mark by which ocean terminals measure efficiency. The longer it takes to move a container on or off the ship or through the facility, the costlier that unit becomes in terms of handling and vessel delay. Container ships aren’t getting smaller; in today’s fast paced world it’s becoming impossible for ports to compete without technology. Automation is not the way of the future; it’s quickly become the norm today.

Public comments on the New Haven Harbor Connecticut Navigation Improvement Project Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement are due to the Corps of Engineers by November 15, 2018.

S.C. Ports Authority (SCPA) President and CEO Jim Newsome last week told 600 customers and leaders outlined the organization’s successes and strategic infrastructure investments to continue growth during the annual State of the Port address at the Charleston Area Convention Center.

Operations will run Monday through Saturday from 7 AM to 5 PM, with the entire project expected to wrap up by January 15th of 2019

One of the first flood mitigation projects to break ground post-Hurricane Harvey, the Army Corps of Engineers began a nearly $70 million project to dredge a portion of the West Fork of the San Jacinto River in September.

The 22nd World Dredging Congress & Exposition (WODCON XXII) will take place in Shanghai, China, from 25-29 April, 2019.

The global dredging market will touch a value of nearly US$ 16,500 Mn in the year 2022 and grow at a sluggish CAGR during the assessment period.

It has been more than seven years since any maintenance dredge work has been performed on the channel.