Shippers join relief effort for fire-ravaged Maui town

Shippers join relief effort for fire-ravaged Maui town

(KAHULUI, Maui) — Cargo carriers are prioritizing relief shipments to Maui after wildfires devastated the town of Lahaina earlier this week, leaving thousands homeless. The Port of Kahului is fully operational, according to a report by Supply Chain Dive, and inter-island freight and transport company Young Brothers noted in an Aug. 9 operations update that it is focusing its efforts…
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Three rescued as push tug sinks off North Myrtle Beach

Three rescued as push tug sinks off North Myrtle Beach

(NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.) — U.S. Coast Guard and partner agency crews continue to respond to a 59-foot push tug that sank Tuesday night approximately 3 miles off North Myrtle Beach. Horry County Fire Rescue personnel rescued the three crewmembers aboard the tug, the name of which has not been disclosed. The vessel is currently in 30 feet of water…
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Report touts economic power of Great Lakes-Seaway System

Report touts economic power of Great Lakes-Seaway System

(WASHINGTON) — At a virtual press conference Friday featuring U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, a binational public-private coalition of maritime organizations released a new economic impact study of shipping on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. The eight-month project was conducted by Martin Associates of Lancaster, Pa., a national leader in economic analysis…
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Army Corps launches Lower Miss. management study

Army Corps launches Lower Miss. management study

(NEW ORLEANS) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, has launched the Lower Mississippi River Comprehensive Management Study, a five-year, $25 million study that will deliver recommendations for effective and practical management of the Mississippi River from Cape Girardeau, Mo., to the Gulf of Mexico. The purpose of the study is to identify recommendations for the comprehensive…
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U.S. Great Lakes pilotage costs to rise 16 percent in 2023

U.S. Great Lakes pilotage costs to rise 16 percent in 2023

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard has published a final rule in the Federal Register outlining U.S. Great Lakes pilotage rates for the 2023 shipping season. The service proposes to increase the overall cost by $5.17 million or 16 percent compared to 2022. In 2023, the Coast Guard is proposing a total workforce of 56 fully registered pilots and six…
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Shell signs agreement to acquire ECL business of PANOLIN

Shell signs agreement to acquire ECL business of PANOLIN

Wholly-owned subsidiaries of Shell have entered into agreements to acquire the Environmentally Considerate Lubricants (ECLs) business of the PANOLIN Group. The transaction includes the PANOLIN brand, ECL product formulations, intellectual property, technical expertise and technology, international customer base and portfolio of products – for hydraulics, gears, universal tractor transmission oils, biodegradable engine oils (HDEO), turbine oils, chainsaw oils and greases…
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Biden signs bill targeting ocean shipping costs

Biden signs bill targeting ocean shipping costs

(WASHINGTON) — On Thursday, President Joe Biden, joined at the White House by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., signed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act into law. In August 2021, Garamendi introduced the act with Johnson to provide the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) with the regulatory power to support…
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Human error, insufficient training cited in Golden Ray capsizing

Human error, insufficient training cited in Golden Ray capsizing

The vehicle carrier Golden Ray capsized in St. Simons Sound due to a crucial vessel stability miscalculation and inadequate training and safety procedures, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded. Investigators said the chief officer entered incorrect ballast levels into a shipboard computer, indicating the vessel had more water than it actually did. As a result, Golden Ray’s center of gravity was “significantly higher” than calculated. “Golden Ray capsized because it did not possess enough righting…
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