Ports – Professional Mariner

01 Dec

U.S. awards $220 million to modernize ferry systems

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsferries, Ports, shipbuilding

(WASHINGTON) — The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on Thursday announced grants totaling $220.2 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to modernize the nation's ferry systems. The program focuses in part on expanding ferry service in rural communities, helping communities acquire modern ferry boats (including electric boats that reduce carbon pollution), and upgrading shore infrastructure to support high-quality, low-emission ferry service.…

01 Dec

Lakes limestone trade jumps 22.8 percent in November

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Ports, shipping

(CLEVELAND) — Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.1 million tons in November, an increase of 22.8 percent compared to a year ago. Limestone cargoes were 7.3 percent above the month’s five-year average. Loadings from U.S. quarries increased 23.6 percent from 2022 to 2.6 million tons. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 536,912 tons, an increase of 19.2 percent.…

22 Nov

Great Lakes Towing acquires former Cleveland fireboat

Professional Mariner StaffTugboats & TowingFireboats, Great Lakes, Ports

(CLEVELAND) — The Great Lakes Towing Co., (GLT), a leader in specialized marine services, has acquired the fireboat Anthony J. Celebrezze, formerly owned by the city of Cleveland. The purchase is intended to provide GLT with a firefighting platform for response to a shipboard or shoreside fire, particularly in those ports where a high volume of winter ship repair work…

14 Nov

Record number of cruise ships plug in at Port of Seattle

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsClimate change, Ports

(SEATTLE) — The Port of Seattle concluded the 2023 cruise season on Oct. 30 with the departure of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Sun from Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal at Pier 66. This year’s cruise season hosted 291 cruises with a record number of passengers and a record number of ships using plug-in shore power. The 2023 season concluded with…

08 Nov

Great Lakes iron ore cargoes up 8.5 percent in October

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Ports, shipping

(CLEVELAND) — Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 5.1 million tons in October, an increase of 8.5 percent compared to a year ago, according to the Lake Carriers' Association. Shipments were a near match to the month’s five-year average. Year to date, the iron ore trade stands at 41.8 million tons, an increase of 23.3 percent compared…

03 Nov

MarAd funds 41 port improvement projects in 25 states

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsPorts, shipping

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd) on Friday announced over $653 million to fund 41 port improvement projects across the nation under the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP). The funding will help grow capacity and increase efficiency at coastal seaports, Great Lakes ports, and inland river ports. A significant portion of domestic and international U.S. commerce by weight (over…

01 Nov

Long Beach, NOAA, pilots tout new port navigation tool

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsNavigation, Pilots, Ports, Tugboats and towing

(LONG BEACH, Calif.) — Imagine driving your car down a narrow road that you cannot see and your tires cannot touch. The road is made of silt and your car is hovering more than seven stories above it. This would be akin to the daily job of port pilots responsible for the safe arrivals and departures of massive cargo vessels…

01 Nov

EPA provides first look at $3 billion Clean Ports Program

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsClimate change, EPA, Ports

(WASHINGTON) — On Tuesday, the Enivornmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave stakeholders a first look at the agency's plans to implement a new $3 billion port emission reduction program. During a two-hour webinar, agency staff provided an outline of the newly named Clean Ports Program, which was authorized in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 as the Grants to Reduce Air…

30 Oct

Tentative deal ends strike that restricted Seaway traffic

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Ports, shipping

(WASHINGTON) — Negotiators reached a tentative agreement Sunday night on a new labor contract between the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. (SLSMC) and its unionized workers who had gone on strike a week earlier. Canadian portions of the Seaway were closed for eight days, blocking international commerce to and from all Great Lakes ports. During the coming week, UNIFOR members…

27 Oct

First turbine installed for Vineyard Wind project

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsoffshore wind, Ports

(BOSTON) — The first GE Haliade-X wind turbine generator has been installed for the Vineyard Wind 1 project off Massachusetts, according to energy provider Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP). The completed turbine is comprised of one tower, three blades and one nacelle. The fully assembled machine represents the largest turbine in the Western world, with a nameplate capacity of…