Inland Port Magazine 2012 no.4

Inland Port

Mexico’s Up & Coming Eagle Ford

Repurposed Materials for Ports

New IRPT President Dennis Wilmsmeyer

inlandportmagazine.com@inlandportmag

2012 Issue IV

Mississippi River DikesEnvironmental Benefits of

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INLAND PORT MAGAZINE2012 Issue IV • Voume IV

ISSN 2156-7611

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Published bimonthly by

Hudson Jones Publications, LLCHouston, Texas • Tulsa, Oklahoma

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EdItorDaron Jones

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Entire contents ©2012, all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part, without writ-ten permission of Hudson Jones Publications, LLC, is prohibited. The publisher accepts no responsibility for content of any advertisements solicited and/or printed herein, including any liability arising out of any claims for infringe-ment of any intellectual property rights, patents, trademarks, trade dress and/or copyrights; nor any liability for the text, misrepresentations, false or misleading statements, illustrations, such being the sole responsibility of the adver-tisers. All advertisers agree to defend, indemnify and hold the publisher harmless from all claims or suits regarding any advertisements. Due to printing and ink variances, the publisher does not guarantee exact color matching. Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarily those of the publisher or staff. Readers’ views are solicited ([email protected]). Publisher reserves the right to publish, in whole or in part, any letters or correspondence received. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material.

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The RiveR’s DReam Come TRueMexico’s Eagle Ford, the Next Big Shale PlayBy Joseph P. Linck, Jr., NaFTa marine Co.

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Inland Port2012• Issue IV

26

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22

Environmental Benefits of Dike Notching in the Mississippi River EcosystemBy Paul J. DuBowy, Ph.D., USACE Mississippi Valley Division

7

Industry Notebook28

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Magdalena River to Become Main Artery of Colombia12Repurposing by Land or SeaCould your port benefit from repurposed materials? By Amy Duncan14Wilmsmeyer, IRPT Plot Bright Future at St. Louis ConferenceBy new IRPT President Dennis Wilmsmeyer, of America’s Central Port17NWC President Amy Larson Joins IP’s Editorial Board18USCG Names NSF Independent Lab for Ballast Water Management Tests19WCI Comments on New ASCE Port Funding Shortfall Report21Super-Sized Vessels in US Ports22Great Lakes Completes Pittsburgh Tank Contract25New State-of-the-Art Surveillance System at Louisiana’s Port Fourchon26

2012 Issue IV4 www.inlandportmagazine.com

Why is Mexico’s end of the Texas Eagle Ford shale gas fields a dream come true for the USA river industry? Because of

a river canal called the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Smart oil and gas companies have already landed millions of tons of frac sand, called proppants, from the upper Mississippi river area to the Eagle Ford via the ports of Houston, Victoria, Corpus Christi and Brownsville. Those shippers have learned that lightweight river barges are the most economical form of inland transportation in the world. They are also the “greenest,” consuming far less diesel per ton of cargo hauled, than rail.

USA Today reported that, “U.S. frac sand produc-ers sold or used more than 6.5 million metric tons of sand... back in 2009, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The tonnage likely will have doubled when 2010 data is released, according to Thomas Dolley, a USGS mineral commodity specialist who follows the silica mining industry.

“It’s huge,” Dolley said. “I’ve never seen anything like it, the growth. It makes my head spin.”

Mexico’s Eagle Ford, the Next Big Shale PlayBy Joseph P. Linck, Jr.

The River’s Dream Come True

52012 Issue IV www.inlandportmagazine.com

According to Oilfield market research firm Spears & Associates, Mr. Dolley was being con-servative, as they reported it was about 22 million tons. That much sand would require 13,750 river barge loads. That makes anyone’s head spin.

The Freedonia Group calculated that the total well stimulation material market during 2011 was $3.7 billion, just in the USA. They project it will hit $12 billion by 2016, with proppants being $6.1 billion of that total.

But wait, what’s Mexico got to do with this?

Ask your friendly geologist. Why would anyone think that South Texas’s booming Eagle Ford shale’s wet gas fields end at the Rio Grande River?

Mother nature does not recognize national boundaries. She was there first, long before the river. Mexico’s end of the Eagle Ford shale depos-its, so productive in South Texas, crosses under the Rio Grande and runs throughout Northern Mexico territory, all the way south to the state of San Luis Potosi, some 300 miles southwest of Brownsville.

Brownsville is surrounded by Mexico’s Eagle Ford Shale. Just South of Brownsville is Mexico’s exciting new shale gas field, La Pimienta.

That’s why PEMEX plans to drill over 300 wells per year in their Eagle Ford, known as Burgos, along their banks of the Rio Grand, and Southwest of Brownsville. Average volume reported in the Marcellus gas fields is around 2,500 tons per well.For 300 wells, that means Mexico might consume 750,000 tons per year.

But others have said that, “a well can be fracked over 40 times.”

Their Emergente 1 well, drilled in 2011 around Reynosa, was 2,500m deep, and some 500m wide. It flowed 3 million cubic feet per day of gas, and an undisclosed quantity of liquids.

Yes, their gas fields are rich in sweet, valuable liquids, just like the western end of Texas’s Eagle Ford. Seems the closer you get to Mexico, the wetter the gas is. Lately, drilling activity in Texas has migrated west, closer and closer to the Rio Grande River, in pursuit of these valuable liquids.

Many American companies are already active in the Burgos, such as Halliburton, Lewis, Schlum-berger and Weatherford, and have been importing Northern Mississippi river sand already for these liquids rich gas shale fields. Fortunately for barge logistical costs, the sources of this sand are very close to the navigable Mississippi river.

So, one might ask, what’s new with Mexico’s Eagle Ford ?

Mexico just elected a brand new president, Enrique Pena Nieto. He is from a powerful and different political party than the outgoing presi-dent, Felipe Calderon. Nieto promises to open the state-owned oil company, PEMEX, to private investment, something that past presidents tried but failed to accomplish due to opposition in their congress.

The lame-duck Calderon has pledged his

political party’s help to the new president-elect to accomplish this. This will give the new president the votes in congress to make it happen. Many knowledgeable insiders have projected that, with US expertise in technologies like fracking, and international investment, Mexico could become another Saudi Arabia. Importantly, President-elect Pena Nieto has singled out their side of the Texas Eagle Ford – Burgos – for priority. Mexican presi-dents serve six-year terms.

While rich in natural gas reserves, Mexico is terribly dependant on importing the stuff, mostly via pipelines from the Texas Eagle Ford. Indeed the country is the USA’s second largest gas customer, with imports increasing by 50% just last year. Even with that massive flow, spot short-ages are a growing problem, and more supply is needed.

With a booming economy that grew almost 5% just last quarter, they cannot build new power plants fast enough. In 2009, 60% of their 60,440 MW of electricity was generated by natural gas. Since then, most all of their new power plants are also natural gas burners. There are 13 power plants coming online this year that were recently converted from liquid fuel to natural gas, as well as three new ones. The large petroleum refineries Tula and Salamanca are also undergoing conver-sion to natural gas, and should also come online this year.

Indeed, three new liquid natural gas (LNG) maritime import terminals are already in opera-tion in Mexico. Two are on their Pacific coast, and another is in the Gulf of Mexico.

Yet another large cross-border gas pipeline (760 million cubic feet per day) is in the works on the Arizona border at a cost of $2.5 billion USD, and will soon be put out to international bidding. And $8 billion in new pipeline projects to Texas were just announced by Mexico, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Another compelling reason for Mexico to develop its own natural wet gas fields is its bal-looning imports of raw materials like ethane and other natural gas liquids to make the raw materials for plastics, clothing, tires, PVC, etc. That deficit in petrochemical raw materials hit $20 billion in 2011, and is projected to increase to $23 billion in 2012.

Mexico’s appetite for natural gas is booming, and they can’t import it fast enough. Logically, they would like to replace these imports with their own domestic natural gas, which lies waiting under-ground on their side of the Rio Grande.

Brownsville, as do other Gulf coast ports, lacks a modern and efficient bulk unloading and storage system for sand. This always happens in a new industry, before the logistics pros start getting involved. Far too much of this bulk commodity is still being shipped in bags. Bags require expensive cranes to lift them and are labor intensive, hard to handle, and expensive.

Smart money would build a bulk sand unload-ing terminal with adequate storage for this exciting new industry at the river port of Brownsville, plus deep sea docks with 42 feet of draft.

Brownsville is the closest to Mexico’s gas fields, and also convenient to Texas’s Eagle Ford. Various railroads are busy building such facilities

for unit trains all over South Texas, and in the Marcellus shale gas fields of the upper Ohio River area. But these rail storage facilities are small.

With a primary sup-ply depot at the Port of Brownsville, the railroads can make just-in-time (JIT) deliveries to the neighboring Eagle Ford, or to Mexico. Browns-ville’s port-owned BRG railroad not only connects with the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern, but also delivers trains to the Kansas City Southern in Matamoros, Mexico, which in turn serves all of Mexico’s side of the Eagle Ford.

It’s past time for the river industry to step forward and construct such facilities to assist in lowering the delivered cost of frac sand for this booming and maturing industry in deep South


Texas, Northern Mexico, and the upper Ohio river.

Converting sand from bags to bulk, and from rail to barges (for the long haul runs), could drop the price of this important com-modity dramatically. Sand is a very cheap commodity at the sand pit. Most of the high price being paid today for it is all transporta-tion and handling. The trade publication Industrial Minerals reported in 2011 that prices for sand were about $50 a ton before shipping, but were over $300 a ton when delivered. That’s a $250-a-ton freight bill, or $400,000 for a 1,600-ton river barge load.

You can buy a barge for that kind of money.

Put another way, if just the Ohio River’s Marcellus and the two Eagle Ford’s served by the USA’s river systems are consuming half of the 22 million tons being consumed, then at $250 a ton, that is a whopping $2.75 billion dollars in freight costs per year.

Somebody needs to look into this

But frac sand isn’t the only new cargo for the river barges. Brownsville’s outbound liquid cargos promise to be even bigger. The Eagle Ford in Texas produced 41 million bar-rels of oil in 2011, up from only 4.4 million in 2010. Year-to-date figures show that another dramatic increase will hit this year.

New storage tanks and barge loading terminals have blossomed up and down the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway for this Texas production. No location, however, makes better logistical sense than Brownsville, due to its proximity to Mexico’s “soon to boom” Eagle Ford.

Occidental Chemical Corp. and Mexican chemicals giant, Mexichem SAB (MEX-CHEM.MX), apparently know this. They are considering a $1 billion joint venture to produce over half a million tons a year of ethylene in Corpus Christi, or somewhere else on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. This in order for Mexichem to secure long-term feed stocks for its PVC plastics production. The smart Mexican participants in this new joint venture no doubt have Mexico’s natural gas liquids in mind, already so prolific on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

Dow Chemical has announced $4 billion in plant investments or expansions in their NGL consuming petrochemical plants on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, including Free-port, Texas. Formosa Plastics Corporation announced it would spend almost $2 billion to expand its plastics and petrochemicals site in Point Comfort, Texas.

“North of $6 billion dollars,” is what Mi-chael Smith, principal owner and CEO of Gulf Coast LNG Export, said when asked how much he plans to invest in their new LNG ex-port terminal in the Port of Brownsville, once he receives his federal export permit.

One official said the discovery and use

of shale gas, which has raised production and pushed down natural gas prices in North America, has already prompted plans by others for five or six new ethylene crackers.

“Outlays of $10-20 billion per year could be required over the next 20 years to build new pipelines, terminals, and plants to bring new oil and gas resources to market,” said a Deutsche Bank executive dur-ing Deloitte LLP’s, 2012 Washington Energy Conference, as reported in the Oil and Gas Journal.

Most of these major investments are based on the abundant and inexpensive natural gas liquids on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, and no doubt future increases of Mexico’s exports. All smart logisticians know that water transport is the only solution for heavy, freight-sensitive, high-volume cargos such as petroleum or frac sand. It’s not only cheaper, but far greener.

You can learn more about new developments in the Mexican and the Gulf Coast’s booming petro-leum and petrochemical industry at the Frac Sand Supply and Logistics Conference (sandconference.com) in Grapevine, Texas, September 27th and 28th. I will be a speaker there, and available for any follow-up ques-tions. IP

The AuthorJoseph P. Linck, Jr., is a retired commodities trader and former Director

of the Port of Brownsville. Through his NAFTA Marine Company and periodic email releases, he urges America’s inland waterways industry to capitalize on opportunities with Mexico. Email him at [email protected].


The Mississippi River is about 2320 miles long and, together with the Ohio and Missouri Rivers, drains all or parts of 31 states and two Canadian provinces.

Long before there were railroads or interstate highways the Mississippi was the major avenue of commerce in the central United States. Barges are the most efficient form of commercial shipping; water transportation moves 16% of the nation’s freight for 2% of the freight cost. Currently, barge traffic accounts for 500-million tons of goods shipped annually down the Mississippi.

The Mississippi River Commission (MRC) oversees implementation of the comprehensive Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) project under supervision of the Chief of Engineers. MR&T is arguably the most successful civil works project ever initiated by Congress. Since 1928 the nation has contributed $14.5 billion toward MR&T and has received an estimated $430 billion return on that investment, including savings on transportation costs and flood damages. However, MR&T navigation structures such as wing dikes have caused pronounced alterations to the Lower Mississippi River (LMR) ecosystem. To provide adequate river flows during low water, wing dikes redirect

Environmental Benefits of DikeNotching in the Mississippi River Ecosystem

By Paul J. DuBowy, Ph.D.Mississippi Valley DivisionUS Army Corps of Engineers


water into the main navigation channel of the river. This results in side channels, chutes and floodplain habitats becom-ing hydrologically disconnected from the river. These backwater habitats are important feeding, spawning and nursery areas for many important fish species, as well as providing habitat for other envi-ronmentally sensitive wildlife and inver-tebrate species.

Recognizing the importance of these off-channel habitats to the over-

all health of the Mississippi River, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Mississippi Valley Division (MVD) has established the Lower Mississippi River Environmental Program, a system-wide program of environmental engineering and fish and wildlife resource studies of the LMR and floodplain to provide safe and efficient navigation while improving the river ecosystem through reconnec-

tion of these important backwater areas. MVD has established a partnership with the Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee and its collaborating agencies to collectively reach a common goal–to change the flow of the Mississippi River and restore aquatic habitats.

Wing dikes are long, linear berms of large rock constructed perpendicularly from the riverbank towards the main channel of the river. Often dikes are constructed in a series, known as a dike

field, and are used to deflect or direct water flows toward the navigation chan-nel of the river at medium to low river stages. This increases current velocity in the navigation channel, thereby increas-ing transport of sediments and main-taining open and safe navigation. Slack water between dikes also facilitates the deposition of sand and mud, thus further reducing sediment volume and accretion

in the channel. The equivalent of over 320 miles of dikes has been constructed along the Lower Mississippi River as part of the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project (MR&T); each dike ranges from several hundred to several thousand feet in length.

Sandbar acreage has increased as more dikes have been constructed. It sometimes takes several years for the river to react to any channel improve-ment structures; thus, over time, more

sandbars form while others change con-figuration. With the completion of most dikes planned for MR&T, the overall sandbar area has tended to become rela-tively stable; sand has simply been redis-tributed along and within the channel. Sandbar development between dikes is one desired feature that aids in maintain-ing an open navigation channel at lower river stages. However, dike construc-

Notching a wing dike at low river stage, Robinson Crusoe dike field, RM 737R, near Memphis Tennessee.

jocevents.com/ipl2012

tion severs the hydrological connections between the main river and side channels as sand and other deposits fill the chute. There has been a marked decrease in the number of side channels as the channel improvement program has progressed and the number of dikes has increased. These side channels and associated gravel bars are important foraging and spawn-ing sites for many riverine fish species, such as sturgeon, paddlefish, gar, white bass, blue sucker, catfish, sauger and freshwater drum.

This increase in the areal extent of sandbars also provides additional nesting habitat for the endangered interior least tern once the sandbars become exposed during summer low water. However, another feature of sandbar develop-ment is that as the bars grow they tend to attach to the riverbank. This permits greater access to sandbars by humans seeking recreational opportunities and also provides access to terrestrial preda-tors. Because of these factors, there has been great concern regarding the safety and success of tern nesting colonies and foraging areas; too much disturbance and/or predation could cause the terns to abandon the colony site.

Even though 20 years of observations have revealed that terrestrial predation at tern colonies is minimal, attached sand-

bars are of concern for the nesting suc-cess of least terns. Alternatively, isolated sandbars exclude land access from the riverbank because of the water barrier between the sandbar and upland. Thus, engineering features were considered within dike fields to provide a flowing channel between sandbar and riverbank, making for an isolated sandbar. The best environmental engineering feature found for this has been the dike notch.

A notch is a trapezoidal opening in a dike that typically has a 300-foot top width, sloping sides and a 100-foot bot-tom width; the bottom elevation of the notch is typically at LWRP (Low Water Reference Plane, defined as the river stage that is exceeded 97% of the time) to LWRP +5 (roughly between 15 and 30 feet below the top elevation of the wing dike). Some notches are larger or smaller, being adjusted to the specific channel conditions. Notches are made either by removing rock during maintenance work on an existing dike or by leaving an open, low section when a new dike is Built. This low section permits lower river stages to pass through the notch and down the side channel 90-97% of the time. Notches reduce sedimentation in old chute chan-nels and behind sandbars and maintain flowing water conditions at lower stages in secondary channels. Additionally, low

water stages flowing through a notch result in a diversity of current veloci-ties at the notch that increase substrate diversity (both in composition and topog-raphy/bathymetry), thereby increasing aquatic habitat and aquatic species diver-sity downstream of the notch.

Dike notches have been used by USACE St. Louis District in the Middle Mississippi River as habitat rehabilitation features since the late 1970s. Because of the vastly greater current volumes and velocities in the Lower Mississippi River (LMR), there originally was reluctance to notch dikes in the LMR; the concern was that a dike could fail at the notch and create serious navigation safety prob-lems. However, after the first few notches were created, it was found that the dikes remained structurally sound. Since 1992, there have been more than 140 notches constructed in dikes in the Memphis District, over 60 in the Vicksburg District and a few in the New Orleans District (the number of side channels and reha-bilitation opportunities decrease further south). Dike notching has been very suc-cessful in protecting least tern nesting colonies as well as creating aquatic habi-tat diversity for the endangered pallid sturgeon and fat pocketbook mussel and various wildlife, fish and invertebrates.

Dikes with notches foster diverse


Newly notched wing dike at rising river stage, Robinson Crusoe dike field, RM 737R.

aquatic ecosystems. Various substrates, water depths, current velocities and channel bottom configurations at fluc-tuating river stages all contribute to a diverse fishery community. This mosaic of microhabitats results in a widely var-

ied benthic invertebrate assemblage, and the large quantities of invertebrates then serve as food for fish populations throughout the system. Nearly 70 species of fish have been found to inhabit dike fields and the main channel of the LMR. Waters within dike fields, in back chan-

nel chutes, and along revetted riverbanks function as nursery, feeding, and refuge areas for river fisheries. The calm waters within dike fields are especially produc-tive aquatic areas; fish standing crop in LMR dike systems at slack water aver-

age nearly 900 pounds and over 19,000 fish per acre. Forage fish, particularly threadfin shad and gizzard shad, are numerically domi-nant; consequently, ample food is available throughout the river system, especially in areas associated with dike fields, for least terns, other birds and larger, important fish species.

The usaCe Memphis District River Engineering Team was

awarded the 2007 US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Regional Director’s Conservation Award (Region 4, Atlanta) for their innovative work in ecosystem sustainability and river rehabilitation, especially dike notching for habitat improvement. The award was in recog-

nition of MVM’s willingness to develop strategies and methodologies that linked navigation safety and environmental ben-efits on the Mississippi River. In the past ten years the MVM River Engineering Team has built a high level of trust with resource agencies and fostered a team environment for work on the Mississippi River as well as working toward river resource conservation. IP

THE AUTHORFor more information, contact

Dr. Paul DuBowy, MVD Environmental Program Manager, 601-634-5930, [email protected].

Printed with permission of the PIANC Smart Rivers Conference. The next Smart Rivers Conference will be held in 2013 in Belgium and The Netherlands. Visit them online at www.pianc.us.


Derrick Smith, John Rumancik and Darian Chasteen with the 2007 USFWS Regional Director’s Conservation Award. Photo courtesy USFWS.

www.marinesonic.com


After two days of conferences on efficient port infrastructure models from other countries within the framework of the FTA, the National Association of

Entrepreneurs of Colombia and the Business Alliance for Secure Commerce organized their own event. “Efficient Models in World Trade” was held in Barranquilla, where several tasks are pending for the local and national governments, as well as the private sector.

The conference featured presentations from representatives of the ports of Le Havre, Hamburg, Houston, New Orleans, the Latin American Association of Ports and Terminals, Latinports, and the Inter-Port Police of the United States. A major topic was the importance of rehabilitating the Magdalena River. “Achieve minimizing cost of internal transportation with the rehabilitation of the Magdalena waterway will be the only way in which the country may give a great leap towards competitiveness,” was one of the conclusions of international experts at the conference.

Magdalena River to Become Main Artery of Colombia

Two old friends, Gary LaGrange, president of the Port of New Orleans, and Julián Palacio, executive director of the Latin American Association of Ports and Terminals, Latinports, were among the speakers.

LaGrange advised that the best way of improving port infrastructure is developing a maintenance

program for the access channel, particularly in Barranquilla, where funds are required to make a continuous dredging of the river. On the other hand, he said, a specialized port in containers and bulk is a must, as well as cruisers to promote tourism.

“I applaud the initiative with the concession of ports,” said LaGrange. “In the case of New Orleans, there is a consortium totaling five ports on the Mississippi. We all work together. I insist that if Colombian ports work together

they may achieve what we have done, 500 million tons per year.”

LaGrange stressed that the Magdalena has great potential. “The Master Plan being developed must be monitored very closely because I believe results will be very good in the face of the FTA,” he said. “Therefore, among my recommendations is dredging, and identifying what is produced there for exports, as in the United States there is high demand for specialized coffee. At present we are receiving at the port exports from the largest coffee processor of Colombia.”

Julián Palacio said he is convinced that the Magdalena waterway is the only thing that will give an important development to the region, provided it operates the best way possible and moves a great amount of cargo at very affordable cost.

“Barranquilla is at the mouth of the Magdalena River, which must be the main artery of the country as stated by the President of the Republic,” said Palacio. “This gives it an enviable position in a country with a badly located industry. Any country would like to have a waterway like the Magdalena River and we have it. In cases like New Orleans or Rotterdam, rivers are the logistics. When we speak of Rotterdam, the main European port, 85% of its bulk cargo is moved through waterways. When we question what is happening here, where we have a Rhine, a Mississippi, or a Seine and do not use them. The river is already discovered. What it needs is making it work.”

He concluded, “The cost-by-kilometer of deepening the river is much cheaper compared to any road, and maintenance is cheaper and benefits are much larger”.

In agreement, the President of the Republic, Juan Manuel Santos, announced the allocation of US$400 million for the upstream channeling works for the Magdalena River. The work will be based on preliminary studies engaged through the US Trade and Development Agency and the last studies with the participation of Rob Davinroy, of the US Army Corps of Engineers, Missouri District.

On the other hand, the Master Plan for the port of Barranquilla that groups several terminals, about to be formally presented by the Dutch consultants Rotterdam Maritime Group and Pharos, estimates the potential of the river, both ways, for the mid-term between 10 and 30 million annual tons (oil, coal, grains, fuel and containers). This has attracted important international shipping lines, such as Seacor Holdings, which operates in the Mississippi River.

President Santos concluded, “We are going to make the Magdalena River the main artery of Colombia.” IP

Port of New Orleans’ Gary LaGrange in Colombia.

www.3riversmarineandrail.com


By Robert Adeland

Inland barge transportation has the lowest carbon footprint of the other major modes. Moving identical amounts of cargo by rail generates 30% more carbon dioxide than by barge, and 1,000% more emissions by trucks than by barge. Learn more at www.nationalwaterwaysfoundation.org.

Inland barges produce less carbon dioxidewhile moving America’s important cargoes.

Waterways Council, Inc.801 N. Quincy St., Suite 200 | Arlington, Virginia 22203703-373-2261 | www.waterwayscouncil.org

BARGES: The Greener Way to Go

www.waterwayscouncil.org

www.densona.com


By Amy Duncan

R e p u R p o s i n g By Land or sea

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of 2010, the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petro-

leum industry, is still impacting the Gulf of Mexico today. This disaster prompted a massive clean- up endeavor as well as consideration of ways industry can better protect the environment and preserve our natural resources. Some ports and termi-nals have opted to protect and preserve the environment by reusing objects that were originally designed for a completely different intent.

Texas International terminal in Galveston, TX, for example, recently purchased 5,000 feet of used conveyor belting from repurposedMATERIALS, a Denver based company, to re-use as a spill containment liner. This facility

offloads railroad tanker cars onto barges. The tanker cars have the potential to drip the contents onto the ballast and rail ties below the car. In order to prevent the chemicals and other waste from working into the soil and creating major problem down the road, they’re rolling out used conveyor belting between the track rails to catch all the leaks. The conveyor belt is then cleaned rather than having fluids leach into the soil.

“As with any business, we’re always looking to cut costs,” says Texas Terminal manager Bill Bevers. “When we were looking at options for our railroad track issue, most of them were quite expensive. Someone had the idea of going with used conveyor belting instead. It was great solution at a fraction of the cost.”

Re-using or “repurposing” objects is not a new idea and has been done for years. In fact, repurposing indus-trial waste or byproducts is even more cost-effective and eco-conscious than recycling.

According to the founder of repur-posedMATERIALS, Damon Carson, “In recycling plastics, newspaper, cardboard, or whatever, it has to be ground, melted, or chopped and then it becomes feedstock and then it gets made into something else. We are focused on creative reuse. Does repurposing make more sense envi-ronmentally or economically? It makes a lot of sense both ways.”

It takes energy and resources to physi-cally make one object into something else, but it just takes creativity and ingenuity

You never know what might be repurposed into a useful material at a port facility.


to repurpose it. Conveyor belts are not the only items that are given a second life in the ports and terminal industry. Used advertising billboard vinyls like those found along highways can be repurposed as large, waterproof tarps to cover large loads during shipment to keep the rain out and the product intact.

Decommissioned fire hoses are cre-atively re-used to create dock bumpers and in low-PSI applications such as hoses.

Super sacks, which can hold up to 2,000 pounds, are filled with sand and used for levees. Steel cables from places like skyscraper elevators and ski resort chair lifts are repurposed as mooring lines, short lines, and barge wire.

Although it is not a new concept, repurposing materials is quickly becom-ing an industry standard. Repurposing is a two-sided win, for both the industry purchasing the reusable materials at a much lower cost and the industry avoid-ing landfills.

Companies such as repurposedMATE-RIALS are making the process of finding a home for industrial waste and byprod-ucts a one-stop shop. When materials can no longer be used in their original industry, repurposedMATERIALS makes them available to other industries to resourcefully re-use in a different appli-cation. This unique concept not only adds life to the materials by keeping them out of the waste stream, but it also provides

sustainable products that do the job at a fraction of the cost.

In most cases, utilizing repurposed solutions saves companies 50% to 75% over solving the same problem with purpose-built materials. With an always increasing number of products in inven-tory, repurposedMATERIALS services a variety of industries, customers, and businesses.

The number of re-uses is as endless as the number of inspirational ideas.

What are the waste and byproducts of your marine operation? Are there things that you’ve been trashing that you could divert from the landfill through repur-posing?

The company is currently working

repurposedMATERIALS helped Texas Terminals in Galveston use old conveyor belts in a new way.

www.schuylerco.com


with an Archer Daniels Midland branch, for example, that has 8,000 feet of 2-inch cable they no longer need. This wire rope was used just a single time to pull a barge out that had become wedged in a lock. Rather than simply selling it as metal scrap, they’re hoping to find someone who can repurpose it.

So what makes a given byproduct or waste stream a candidate for repur-posing? There are standards used by repurposedMATERIALS that can help clarify what makes a byproduct a viable option.

Just think of the acronym SAVE: Standard-Available-Versatile-Engineering. First, is there a standard measurement for the product? Is each unit the same size, color, texture, etc? Second, is the product readily available or recurring in the waste stream? Next, is it versatile or able to be re-used in several ways? Finally, it’s important to consider the engineering of the byproduct. What are its ingredients, characteristics, and properties?

Carson explains, “The versatility of possible reuses of a given byprod-uct is key for us. I probably wouldn’t buy 50 toilets from an old apartment building because they are too specialized. They are always going to be, well, a toilet.”

Even with limited funds industries can make ecologically sound choices by repurposing waste and byproducts to solve operational problems. With some imagination and resources, repurposedMATERIALS can help identify limitless ways to creatively attack environmental issues that plague the land and seas. While the terminal in Galveston did not face the same immediate danger as the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of 2010, they were still intent on using preventative measures to ensure that their environmental impact was minimal.

Protecting our natural resources does not require a great deal of money, but rather the insight and ingenuity to see a second life in industrial waste and byproducts. IP

This ski lift cable could become a mooring line or barge wire at your port.

www.mvbarge.com

www.dredgingcontractors.org

What a success! Thank you to so many people involved in the planning, preparation and presentations for this year’s annual conference in St. Louis. From the feedback and comments we have received, it was

one of the best conferences in many years.At the risk of forgetting to mention someone, I do want to call attention

to several people who were the heart of the conference. To our hosts at the St. Louis Development Corporation, Otis Williams and Susan Taylor who, among many other tasks, solicited sponsorships, coordinated the ballgame and secured John Mozeliak, GM of the St. Louis Cardinals to come and talk with us about the historic run of the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals last year; thank you. To Terry Moore, who has coordinated the golf tournament for many years, as well as countless behind-the-scenes details of the conference, a big thank you. To Jim Kearns, and the entire conference committee for putting together an incredible lineup and mix of speakers and tours, I greatly appreciate all that you did. And for our registration desk workers, Carol Moore and Vickie Kearns, thank you for ensuring a smooth flow at the front desk. Finally, to our many sponsors, exhibi-tors, and attendees, this conference and this organization are not possible without you. We greatly appreciate your continued support!

Extra special thanks go out to our Executive Director, Deirdre McGowan. Her 12-plus years in this position have allowed IRPT to grow and in-crease its presence in the river industry. She has been a steadfast force in “lead-ing the charge” for the industry and we will be forever grateful. Even though she has submitted her resignation effective in July to spend more time on the Port Security Grant Program, I am pleased that she has not only remained a member of IRPT, but is also one of our newest board members! I know I will be calling on her many times in the coming two years for direction and advice.

My thanks again to immediate past president Maurice Owen, who one year ago put in place a strategic plan committee in order to increase the value of IRPT to its members. I appreciate Maurice getting the ball rolling and asking the critical questions. His work has allowed us to take a fresh look at the orga-nization and ensure we are doing all we can for IRPT’s members.

We are planning many new initiatives for our members, including a com-prehensive economic impact study of the Inland River System and holding half-day and day-long meetings in the respective IRPT river basins. These and other initiatives will help to strengthen our industry at the regional, state and federal level.

Of course, none of this can be done without the funds to support it. I was a bit shocked when I found out that the IRPT annual dues had not been increased in at least 13 years. Board chairman Randy Richardson and his committee will make a recommendation for a new dues structure in September. Needless to say, dues notices will be suspended until the new dues policy is adopted.

Finally, a big thank you for your continued membership and support. Be sure to join us in New Orleans for IRPT 2013.

–Dennis Wilmsmeyer, President


news & notes

Wilmsmeyer, IRPT Plot Bright Future atSt. Louis Conference

(Above) New IRPT President Dennis Wilmsmeyer, of America’s Central Port, and outgoing IRPT Executive Director Deirdre McGowan.

(Below) Attendees enjoyed all St. Louis had to offer, including a Cardinals baseball game.


mrs. Larson is a graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts,

and the Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. She is a member of the bar in the District of Columbia and Maryland, and is admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

She is a member of the Board of Governors of the D.C. Chapter of the Propeller Club of the United States, and is on the Executive Committee of the International Propeller Club of the United States. In addition, she is a member of the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association and the Maritime Law Association.

Established in 1960, the Conference is a leader of national policies that recognize the vital importance of America’s water resources infrastructure to our nation’s well-being and quality of life. NWC supports a sound balance between economic and human needs and environmental and ecological considerations.

Prior to joining the Conference, Mrs. Larson served as the General Counsel of the Federal Maritime Commission, an independent agency responsible for the regulation of oceanborne transportation in the foreign commerce of the United States, and she was a member of the Senior Executive Service.

You can contact Mrs. Larson via email at [email protected]. IP

Inland Port is proud to welcome Amy Larson, Esq., President of the National Waterways Conference, as the newest member of our esteemed Editorial Board

NWC President Amy Larson JoinsIP’s Editorial Board

www.seamenschurch.org


NSF International, an independent public health organization, has become the first Independent Laboratory (IL) accepted by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to evaluate and test technolo-

gies designed to treat ballast water on ships in order to prevent the spread of non-native aquatic species in lakes, rivers and coastal waters. NSF International is an independent organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies products for the food, water and consumer goods indus-tries to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment.

Ballast water, while essential to the safe and efficient operation of modern shipping, can pose economic, ecological and public health risks when it carries non-native species around the world. The USCG regula-tions were developed to limit the release of live organisms in ship ballast water to reduce the risks associated with the spread of aquatic invasive species.

NSF is leading a partnership between Retlif Testing Laboratories (Retlif), the Great Ships Initiative (GSI) and the Maritime Environmental Resource Center (MERC) to test and evaluate systems to the Coast Guard requirements.

Ballast water management system manufacturers (BWMS) will apply to NSF International and the USCG for testing, review and evaluations. NSF International will coordinate testing between Retlif, the GSI and the MERC. NSF coordination will include preparation of test plans, review of test data (technical and quality assurance), evaluation of BWMS mate-rial design and construction and the operation, maintenance and safety manual. It also includes submittal of the test and evaluation results to the USCG.

BaLLaST WaTeR TeSTIng RequIRemenTSLand-based testing will determine if the BWMS is able to effectively

treat ballast water to meet the ballast water discharge standard (BWDS)

uSCg names nSF Independent Lab for Ballast Water management Tests

Testing to reduce the risk of aquatic invasive species in lakes, streams, rivers and coastal waters


requirements of 33 CFR Part 151, Subparts C and D. The land-based testing provides a consistent means for evaluating the ability of any BWMS to remove and/or inactivate biological organisms under con-trolled conditions.

Shipboard tests and evaluations will verify that the BWMS, when installed and operated on a vessel, consistently produces ballast water that meets the BWDS requirements, and that the operating and maintenance parameters identified by the manufacturer in the Op-eration, Maintenance, and Safety Manual are consistently achieved.

RoLeS oF BaLLaST WaTeR DISChaRge STanDaRD TeSTIng LaBoRaToRIeS

The GSI and MERC will conduct both land-based and shipboard testing. GSI is part of the Northeast-Midwest Institute (NEMWI), which is a private non-profit corporation located in Washington, DC. GSI houses a fully fledged land-based test platform and an experi-enced team of scientists and consultants capable of conducting ship-board and supporting bench testing, with several years experience in land-based and shipboard testing. NEMWI is focused on a range of scientific and policy research to bring the 18 state NEMWI region toward a more environmentally sustainable future.

The MERC test facility is a mobile barge-based platform with a home port of Baltimore, but it may also test at multiple locations and water salinities in the Chesapeake Bay, including Norfolk, Virginia. Facility personnel have several years experience in land-based and shipboard testing. The University of Maryland Center for Environ-mental Science is a public non-profit corporation, one of 12 institu-tions within the University System of Maryland.

Retlif will complete testing of the electrical and electronic com-ponents, including each alarm, control and monitoring device of the BWMS. Retlif is a 34-year-old independent testing laboratory special-izing in electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing, environmental simulation testing and engineering services, to both military and commercial test standards, for national and international clients.

NSF International has provided support to the USCG for more than 30 years as a recognized facility for testing and evaluation of marine sanitation devices and oil pollution prevention equipment. NSF is also the verification partner with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Quality Protection Center (WQPC) of the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program, which veri-fies commercial-ready technologies that protect ground- and surface waters from contamination. The WQPC, with valuable contributions from a large number of ballast water treatment stakeholders, devel-oped the protocols to be used for this BWMS testing. NSF is a global independent organization with nearly 70 years of public health and safety expertise.

“Over the past 11 years, we have worked with the USCG, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other very experienced and industry-leading organizations to develop this protocol. We appreci-ate the USCG acceptance of NSF International as an Independent Laboratory to complete the BWMS testing and evaluation. This work is central to our mission of protecting public health and the envi-ronment by preventing the spread of invasive species in navigable waters,” stated Tom Bruursema, General Manager of NSF Interna-tional’s Sustainability division.

Dr. Mario Tamburri, Director of MERC, added “We are excited to be part of the first U.S. Coast Guard-approved Independent Labora-tory for testing ballast water treatment systems and to ultimately play an important role in helping to stop the spread of invasive species.”

Ms. Allegra Cangelosi, President of Northeast-Midwest Institute and Director of the Great Ships Initiative, remarked, “We are excited that the hard work involved in setting up our testing programs will assist the new USCG BWMS type approval process to assure effective and efficient BWMS on ships.” IP

http://dredging12.pianc.us


The nation’s seaports and inland water-ways are critical links that make com-

merce possible. With the expansion of the Panama Canal by 2015, these facilities require rapid modernization. Recognizing this, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released a new economic study that measures the impacts on jobs, GDP, and other economic indicators if the nation fails to meet the invest-ment needs of our ports infrastructure on our national economy.

America’s ports facilitate international trade, a significant driver of growth in the US economy. Exports alone supported approxi-mately 9.7 million jobs in 2011, with every billion dollars of exports supporting 5,080 American jobs.

“The American Society of Civil Engineers’ new economic study underscores the danger of failing to invest in the very systems and infrastructure that keep our nation competi-tive. If we fail to invest properly in our ports and inland waterways system now and in

the future, the result will be job loss, export reduction, and increased costs for consumer goods and electricity. And losing our com-petitive edge to other nations is too high a risk to take,” said Debra Colbert, Senior Vice President, Waterways Council, Inc.

The expansion of the Panama Canal will transform the trade sector by opening the route to larger ships that require wider and deeper harbors at port facilities. Ports throughout the world are focused on ensuring they remain competitive by preparing their facilities to accommodate these larger vessels. The U.S. must make the same type of infrastructure improvements or we will fall behind.

The fourth report in ASCE’s Failure to Act series quantifies the macro costs to the econ-omy of unmet investment needs in America’s waterborne and airport infrastructure – includ-ing job losses, impacts on GDP, U.S. exports, household budgets and personal incomes. It also projects the level of investment needed by 2020 to circumvent these consequences.

onLIne RegISTRaTIon FoR WCI annuaL meeTIng

Online registration is open for the Ninth Annual Waterways Symposium and WCI Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas. The Symposium will take place November 14-15, 2012, and will be preceded by WCI’s Annual Meeting and Board of Directors Meeting (members only) on November 13, 2012, at Houston’s Four Seasons Hotel.

The Symposium will explore the impact of the nation’s waterways on the economy and employment, and the array of obstacles and opportunities facing the inland waterways, ports, and inland waterways transportation. The theme is: “Riding the WAVE 4 Jobs: Waterways Keep Hard-Working Americans Hard at Work.”

Among the topics will be U.S. and Global Economic Prospects Through 2013, Transpor-tation Forecast for Commodities, the Post-election Political Landscape, the Drought of 2012, and Freight Policy Across all Modes. IP

WCI Comments on new aSCe Port Funding Shortfall Report

www.materover.org

www.gicaonline.com

economic conditions and severe weather conditions have formed the perfect storm to slow some tra-ditional trade at U.S. ports along the St. Lawrence

Seaway System. The St. Lawrence Seaway reported that year-to-date total cargo shipments for the period March 22 to July 31 was 17.1 million metric tons, virtually flat over the same period in 2011.

While July is usually a slow month on the System, not all the news was negative. “The Great Lakes Seaway system is an attractive market for breakbulk cargoes, and offers one of the most promising areas for growth,” said Craig H. Middlebrook, Acting Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

“The Midwest is home to some of the world’s largest manufacturers of heavy equipment, which is in increas-ing demand around the globe. As the North American automobile industry continues its rebound, the demand for imported steel products is also rising. Moreover, the continued development of varied North American en-ergy resources is translating into increased demand for waterborne imports of the oversized equipment needed to support this development.”

The Port of Duluth is taking full advantage of this increase this shipping season.

“The Port Authority’s breakbulk terminal in the Port of Duluth-Superior has seen a surge in project cargoes this summer,” notes Adolph Ojard, executive director. “We’ve handled nearly a dozen shipments of wind turbine com-


SuPER-SIZED Vessels in uS Ports

First is a piece of specialized equipment for potash mining that arrived in Duluth en route to Saskatchewan, Canada. Photo by Robert Welton. Courtesy Duluth Seaway Port Authority.


ponents (nacelles, hubs and blades), plus multiple shiploads of domestically manu-factured blades being exported to Brazil. The surge, while partly attributable to the rush to finish wind projects before produc-tion tax credits expire, has also brought to Duluth a variety of other breakbulk cargoes – including huge steam/gas turbines and generators, mining machinery, and other heavy-lift equipment for projects across the Midwest and Canada.

“This uptick in project cargoes serves as a noteworthy reminder of the important role the Seaway plays in sustaining the economic vitality of our port and region. Anchoring the western tip of this inland waterway enables us to serve customers expediently here in the heartland of North America and around the world,” added Ojard.

The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor has handled significant increases in YTD ship-ments of coke (+118%), fertilizer (+94%), minerals (+54%), steel (+29%) and grain (+26%).

“Overall shipments have remained rela-tively steady in 2012 coming off last year’s highest annual volume in recent history,” said Anthony Kuk, port director for the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor. “Our big-gest increases have been driven by growth in local steel manufacturing, but we also saw continued shipments of mega project cargoes in July, and the August shipping schedule looks busy as well.”

Recent project cargo shipments included wind turbines and the world’s largest crawler. The first of its kind, the crane weighs 1.65 million pounds, has a lifting capacity of 3,000 tons and stands 473 feet tall with its boom fully extended. Built by Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH in Ehingen, Germany, it was shipped in 190 pieces from Westdorpe, Netherlands on the mv Elandsgracht. The project cargo was unloaded by the Port’s terminal operator, Federal Marine Terminals, a subsidiary of Fednav Ltd. The crane is being transported from the port to Whiting, Indiana by truck over the next several weeks for use in a ma-jor expansion of the BP Whiting Refinery.

Iron ore and coal used in the steel and construction industries were the positive cargoes in terms of tonnage numbers along the St. Lawrence Seaway System for the month of July. Iron ore shipments through the Seaway rose 30 percent to 1.4 million metric tons in July. Year-to-date figures for iron ore were up 28 percent to 5.2 million

Massive grinding-mill shells for

Essar Steel arrived from

Spain and were transloaded for

delivery to the new pellet plant under

construction on Minnesota’s Iron Range. Photo by

Robert Welton. Courtesy Duluth

Seaway Port Authority.


metric tons. Coal ship-ments for power genera-tion and steel production rose to 2.2 million metric tons – a 28 percent hike over 2011.

Cement shipments also posted a 25 percent increase in July due to on-going construction work throughout the Great Lakes states.

Grain shipments were down for the third straight month due to extreme drought conditions in the U.S. July was the hot-test month on record, beating the worst month of the Dust Bowl era in 1936. Small U.S. crops can carry a global wallop since the United States is the world’s largest farm exporter. It grows 40 percent of the corn and soybeans as well as a fifth of the wheat sold on the world market. IP

A Mitsubishi gas turbine genera-tor discharged from the Clipper Gemini in the Port of Duluth. It was eventually dispatched via specialized railcar to the ENMAX Shepard Energy Center in Cal-gary, Alberta, Canada. Photo by Robert Welton. Courtesy Duluth Seaway Port Authority.

www.waterways.org


Great Lakes Completes Pittsburgh Tank ContractPittsburgh Tank Corporation of

Monongahela, Pennsylvania awarded Great Lakes Shipyard a contract in May 2012 to construct multiple lime slurry tanks and storage silos. The project was completed by the Shipyard in late July.

The Great Lakes Towing Company was then awarded a towing contract by Pittsburgh Tank Corporation to trans-port the constructed tanks to a project location in Essexville, Michigan. The Towing Company’s tug, Ohio, transported the tanks by barges from Great Lakes Shipyard in Cleveland, Ohio to Essexville.

REPAIRING uscG cuttER buckthornThe us Coast Guard Cutter

Buckthorn, a Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan-based 100-foot inland buoy tender, arrived at Great Lakes Shipyard, Cleveland, Ohio, for extended inspection, maintenance, and repairs including steel repairs, cleaning, and painting.

The Buckthorn was commissioned on August 18, 1963 and is the Great Lakes’ oldest USCG cutter. It is the first USCG cutter on the Great Lakes to be drydocked using a Marine Travelift. IP

USCG Cutter Buckthorn

www.irpt.net

The Greater Lafourche Port Commission, in partnership with national security firm Crescent Guardian, recently completed implementation of

an advanced video analytics application to accompany its next-generation video surveillance system. This milestone ensures that first responders in Port Fourchon are receiving “as they happen” alerts identified automatically by the surveillance system and can coordinate their response in real time. This level of data sharing and interoperability is unprecedented and will aid in lowering response times and overall situational awareness during real-time events,

placing the port’s security among the most advanced in the nation. The Greater Lafourche Port Commission’s is committed to continually

improving the security and emergency response preparedness of Port Fourchon by building a Maritime Domain Awareness System that allows local, state and federal agencies such as Harbor Police, Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, LOOP, Lafourche Parish EOC, Fire Central Dispatchers, GOHSEP, Department of Defense, Customs, and Coast Guard to collaborate effectively and become more proactive. To do this, the port’s director of


New State-of-the-Art Surveillance System at Louisiana’s Port Fourchon

information technology, April Danos, wanted to find a way to take all technologies and disparate data and bring them into one common operating picture that would allow these several agencies to work collaboratively within the same situational awareness platform over multiple networks.

Crescent Guardian, a partner security firm of the port, developed an effective solution by providing advanced software that could run the new surveillance system for Fourchon’s Maritime Domain Awareness System, or GLPC-C4. The cutting-edge software allows the system to send alerts and alarms if anomalous behavior is detected, meaning there are “No Rules” to be written prior to their use—Making it one of the easiest and most effective systems in the industry to install and use.

“The Port Commission was pleased to work with CGI to integrate BRS Labs’ video analytics into Port Fourchon’s Video Management System and the GLPC-C4 System,” said Director Danos.

The US Department of Defense supported Port Fourchon’s efforts by sharing the DoD-developed capabilities of the Knowledge Display and Aggregation System (KDAS) to serve as the basis for the Port’s incident command and control system. The use of KDAS provides Port Fourchon with the unique ability to network its system with the DoD in the event of an incident requiring information sharing.

The Greater Lafourche Port Commission’s new system, developed through a collaboration of several companies, is comprised of Disparate Data Sets, Incident Management, What If? Analysis, CCTV integration, Video Analytics, and Alerting integration. Soon, the Harbor Intrusion Detection System (Waterside Radar) will be integrated as well. IP


www.clearspan.com/ADIP

www.hightechdiving.com

Lifting Gear Hire Corporation (LGH) opened a new warehouse in Columbus, OH. This is the 15th warehouse LGH has opened in the U.S., and will provide faster equipment rental turn-around times for customers and an expansive selection of rental equipment, larger scale rental equipment choices and convenient equipment loading and unloading. Visit www.lgh-usa.com.

The largest conventional crawler crane in the world recently arrived at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor. This LR 13000 crane is the first of its kind and was built by Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH in Ehingen, Germany. When fully assembled, it weighs 1.65 million pounds, has a lifting capacity of 3,000 tons and stands 473 feet tall with its boom fully extended. The crane was transported from the port to Whiting, Ind., by truck for use in the expansion of the BP Whiting Refinery.

“The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor is a major hub for dimensional and mega project cargo shipments,” said Anthony Kuk, port director. “The port’s facilities and location allow companies to ship cargoes by water directly into the Midwest, which can significantly reduce the transportation costs and permitting requirements for moving large loads over the highway. Because of the experience of our labor force and Federal Marine Terminals, our terminal operator, this port has developed an enviable track record for handling large cargoes and established a world-wide reputation as a port-of-choice for specialty shipments.”

In other port news, top national experts in transporta-tion, distribution and logistics will descend upon the Indiana Convention Center on Oct. 17 for the 2012 In-diana Logistics Summit. The 10th annual conference will feature presentations by industry experts, extensive networking opportunities and booth displays.

Co-hosted by Purdue University, Conexus Indiana, and Ports of Indiana, the summit brings together repre-sentatives from all modes of transportation, government,

economic development and academia to discuss issues affecting the industry and how to grow business through logistics.

Attendees at the Indiana Logistics Summit will hear industry experts talk about major logistics issues and opportunities for future growth. Other topics will include industry updates from road, rail, water and air experts; status reports for major transportation projects around Indiana; best practice examples from industry leaders; current event issues from around the U.S.; and Indiana’s latest rankings in key logistics areas.

Marcon International (Coupeville, Washington) an-nounced the sale of the U.S. flag twin screw tug Spartan Service (ex-Spartan, Domar Captain) from Covington, Louisiana-based Hornbeck Offshore Transportation, LLC to Marinoil Servicios Maritimos S.A de C.V. of Mexico. Marcon has represented both the seller and the buyer on several separate occasions prior to this, but this is first time that Marcon has brokered a sale between these two parties. The vessel, to be renamed Champayan, will be reflagged under Mexican registry. Marcon has brokered nineteen sales and charters to-date this year. Mobile, Alabama, has long been known for its charm, history and a whole lot of Southern hospitality, and more recently for attracting major international businesses like Airbus and ThyssenKrupp. Evidence of these and the Port City’s many other attributes can be witnessed firsthand Oct. 21–25, when hundreds of seaport industry and related transportation professionals descend on Mobile for the American Association of Port Authori-ties’ (AAPA) 101st Annual Convention, presented by the Alabama State Port Authority (ASPA).

“We’re delighted to be holding our 101st Annual Con-vention and Expo in Mobile, whose growing cargo port is the pride of Alabama and the generator for more than 66,000 jobs and $8 billion in total economic impact,” said Kurt Nagle, AAPA’s president and CEO. “The convention will be the grade finale of our year-long recognition and celebration of the 100th anniversary of ports working together through AAPA.”

Mr. Nagle noted that, throughout the week-long business program, convention attendees will hear from top government, seaport and business industry leaders on issues ranging from infrastructure investment and international trade, to innovative approaches to port challenges. “We’ll also have a bustling trade show on site, filled with industry service and product providers who will showcase the latest advances in everything from port security devices to environmental enhance-ment programs,” he said.

The Alabama State Port Authority, which handled 25 million tons of coal, steel, forest products, frozen poultry and other cargoes in 2011, will host the AAPA’s convention and exhibition activities at the Arthur R. Outlaw Convention Center located on the Mobile River. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley will open the confer-ence, while former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, Wall Street Strategies Founder and CEO Charles Payne, and AECOM North American Intermodal Practice Vice Presi-dent Rachel Vandenberg will serve as keynote speakers to lend additional expertise and substance to the already packed five-day agenda.

The convention will conclude with a members-only annual meeting and election of new officers and directors for the association’s upcoming activity year,

including the installation of Armando Duarte-Peláez, with the Port of Santa Marta, Colombia, as AAPA’s 2013 chairman of the board.

PortVision, a leading provider of business intelligence solutions for the maritime industry, announced that its desktop Automatic Identification System (AIS) vessel-tracking service is now available in a mobile platform that has been optimized for today’s full-featured smartphones including BlackBerry, iPhone and Android devices. The company’s latest mobile platform is available now, at no cost, to PortVision customers who subscribe to its PortVision Plus, PortVision Advantage, TerminalSmart and Fleet Management System offerings.

“Our latest mobile platform delivers on our vision of giving PortVision users all the information they need to manage their maritime domain, no matter where they are,” said Dean Rosenberg, PortVision chief execu-tive officer. “This new platform takes advantage of the latest smartphone capabilities to deliver key real-time features of our widely adopted web-based solutions, and is designed to provide remote access for any maritime professional who spends the majority of their work day away from their desk.”

Reports from the Seamen’s Church Institute’s (SCI) 2012 Shore Leave Survey show a continued need for convenient seafarers’ access to shore leave. Although the data show a reduced percentage of ships reporting detained seafarers, they also indicate the continued challenges foreign seafarers face when trying to secure much-needed shore leave in United States ports.

The Shore Leave Survey indicates that of those sea-farers denied shore leave, 81% were denied because of either a lack of visa or an invalid visa. The US is the only major maritime nation that requires foreign seafarers to have a visa to go ashore. Other contributing factors included vessel restrictions, company restrictions and terminal restrictions. Although terminal access restric-tions showed improvement from last year’s Survey, some terminals continue to charge seafarers exorbitant fees for simple escorts through terminals.

This year’s Survey highlights the continued need for the United States to ratify the Seafarers’ Identity Documents Convention (Revised), 2003 (ILO-185). This convention—adopted by 24 nations and in force since 2005—would provide seafarers a reliable biometric iden-tification document, acting as a substitution for a visa. It would also improve security for maritime nations by providing identity credentials for all seafarers—not just those who obtain a visa. SCI urges seafarers, industry and labor to join in pressing the United States to ratify ILO-185 in order to strengthen maritime security and facilitate seafarers’ shore leave opportunities.

Kirby Corporation has entered into an agreement to purchase the assets of Allied Transportation Com-pany, a subsidiary of Allied Marine Industries, and two affiliated companies.

Allied is an operator of offshore barges and tugboats participating in the coastal transportation of petrochemi-cals, as well as dry sugar products, in the Northeast, Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions of the United States. Customers include major petrochemical companies, most of which are current Kirby customers for inland tank barge services. Allied’s fleet consists of 10 coastwise tank barges with a total liquid capacity of 680,000 bar-rels, three offshore dry-bulk barges with a total capacity of 48,000 deadweight tons, and seven tugboats.

Joe Pyne, Kirby’s Chairman and Chief Executive Of-ficer, commented, “We are very pleased to announce our agreement with Allied. Operating as a U.S. Jones Act carrier primarily in the offshore petrochemical business, Allied has one of the most complementary coastal fleets to Kirby’s existing operations. In addition to enhancing Kirby’s ability to expand and strengthen certain existing customer relationships, the acquisition of Allied provides Kirby with a strong footprint from which to grow the petrochemical segment of our offshore business.” IP


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Inland Port Magazine 2012 no.4

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Transcript of Inland Port Magazine 2012 no.4