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2012 Issue III
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INLAND PORT MAGAZINE 2012 Issue III Volume IV ISSN 2156-7611
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Inland Port 2012• Issue III
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Fuel Cells Set Sail
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RIVER TRAINING STRUCTURES
With increasing scrutiny and regulations tightening on ports and related emissions, fuel cells offer solutions for inland ports and harbors By Jennifer Gangi, Fuel Cells 2000
Innovative Engineering Keeps Dynamic River Open By Michael Petersen, Chief of Public Affairs, USACE St. Louis District
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Corps of Engineers Releases Post-Panamax Vessels Report
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Redpath Sugar Clears Docks Faster with Sennebogen Equilibrium Crane
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By Robert Adeland, Marketing Strategies & Solutions
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PortVision’s TerminalSmart Management Tools Optimize Efficiency and Safety
20 Seamen’s Church Celebrates 15 Years in Paducah
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Featuring the Inside View Photo Contest Winners
24 WCI Names Colbert Senior Vice President
Interview with new WCI Sr. VP, Debra Colbert
26 US Army Ships Vehicles by Barge 28
Industry Notebook
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Fuel Cells Set Sail
With increasing scrutiny and regulations tightening on ports and related emissions, fuel cells offer solutions for a wide range of applications at inland ports and harbors. By Jennifer Gangi, Fuel Cells 2000 4
F
uel cells, electrochemical devices that combine hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity without combustion, are increasingly being installed around the world to provide clean and reliable power for different market sectors, including ports and harbors. The technology is not new – fuel cells were first invented in the early 1800s – but are beginning to make headlines with big name customers such as Apple, Google, Walmart, and Coca-Cola, powering stores and data centers that hold their products as well as the forklifts that move them. It is the combination of benefits that fuel cells offer that makes them an attractive technology, with huge potential for a variety of port power needs. Since fuel cells come in many sizes, they can be used in
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2012 Issue III
A Vision Motors fuel cell truck in operation at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
emissions, fuel cells offer high reliability and are scalable and fuel flexible, capable of using liquid or gaseous fuels. They are efficient and extremely quiet, too. According to the Office of Naval Research, in naval vessels, fuel cells are 40% efficient compared with gas turbine and diesel engines which clock in at 16% and 12%, respectively. Integrating fuel cells into marine applications has been demonstrated for years. In 2000, a passenger ship powered by a fuel cell set sail in Bonn, Germany. Several others followed shortly after.
Port of Hamburg
various applications – from ship to shore. These include material handling vehicles on the docks, grid-independent power and backup power for warehouses and buildings, or 24/7 security services such as communications systems, closed-circuit video cameras, and guard gates. Fuel cells can also power and regulate the temperature in refrigerated containers, as well as storage vessels. Fuel cells are quiet and rugged enough to be installed indoors or out. 2012 Issue III
Fuel cells can be also used on the ships themselves, for engine propulsion, or even as an auxiliary power unit (APU) to provide electricity to onboard electronics. There are millions of marine engines operating in the United States alone, and they are among the highest contributors of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions in many areas of the country. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state organizations, such as the California
Air Resources Board (CARB), have passed regulations to control engine cleanliness, allowable/acceptable fuels for ships, and pollution emitted when entering or exiting ports. Major international ports are following suit to reduce emissions and lower the overall environmental impact of their daily operations. Fuel cells inherently meet air emission levels, offering a 96% reduction in NOx, carbon and hydrocarbons. On top of these ultra-low
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The port of Hamburg in Germany was one of the first to showcase the potential of fuel cells in port logistics. They conducted a two-year trial of a fuel cell-powered forklift in the port’s warehouse, as well as the world’s first fuel cell-powered inland tourism ship, the FCS Alsterwasser Zemship (zero emissions ship). Linde built a portside refueling station for both the forklift and 100-passenger ship, which could be refueled in 12 minutes. The Zemship was able to travel throughout the entire network of routes, including the neighboring lake, canals and the port area. Other port/marine focused cities are making sure they don’t miss the boat on this technology. Iceland has roughly one-third its emissions coming from its large fishing fleet, so the country has been working on incorporating fuel cells into boats via several programs such as H-SHIP, FC-SHIP and EURO-HYPORT. The SMART H2 boat demo, its latest project, was launched in 2007 (ended in 2010) incorporated a fuel cell APU onboard on the Elding, a whale safari tourist boat. The APU provided electricity when the main engine was turned 5
off when out to sea to quietly allow participants to watch whales without disturbing the animals. The EU METHAPU (Validation of Renewable Methanol Based Auxiliary Power Systems for Commercial Vessels) project demonstrated the use of methanol and biofuels on ships, focusing on installing a fuel cell to provide auxiliary power and creating international regulations to potentially use methanol as a marine fuel. A fuel cell system was successfully installed onboard the Undine, a car carrier vessel owned by Swedish Wallenius Lines in 2010. The ship sailed from the German port of Bremerhaven and headed for several different countries, including Sweden, the UK and the United States. All of these demonstrations and trials have helped fuel cell developers improve and overcome technical obstacles and have evolved into more projects around the world.
This Wärtsilä (Finland) fuel cell unit WFC20 was installed on the car carrier as part of the EU METHAPU project.
The hydrogen dispenser for the ferry will also be used to fuel hydrogen buses. In Turkey, the Istanbul Technical University (ITU) unveiled a hydrogen fuel cell boat named Marti (which means “seagull”) that will be put into use on the Golden Horn estuary in Istanbul, shuttling between various wharfs and the Rahmi M. Koc Museum. On the land side of the port, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in California – the two largest ports in the US – and the This fuel cell-powered forklift, operating at the Port of Helsinki, Port of Hamburg, was developed by STILL, a Finland, are company in Germany. demonstrating fuel cells today. CELL Technology Today In California, the ports are In the Netherlands, the city testing out a fuel cell-battery of Amsterdam uses diesel fuel hybrid Tyrano Class-8 rig for the ferries that navigate truck from Vision Motors, its canals, polluting the air with the potential for Total and water with emissions and Transportation Service, the grease. Recently the Nemo H2 ports’ largest cargo hauler, fuel cell-powered boat made to purchase 100 more if the its first sail and visitors can demonstration is successful. also opt for a CO2 Zero Canal On top of that, the agreement Cruise for a small fee that will includes an option to purchase in turn be used to fund more an additional 300. research into reducing carbon. 6
In Finland, the Port of Helsinki is hosting Demo2013, a public-private collaboration to demonstrate fuel cells in a variety of port applications, including APUS on the ships and forklifts and telecommunications services on the docks. One fuel cell company involved in Demo2013, Wärtsilä, is also working on a similar effort in Norway called FellowSHIP (Fuel Cells for Low Emission Ships) and participated in the METHAPU project as well. These programs aim to bring zero-emissions ships to ports. FellowSHIP just recently entered the third phase of the project, which since 2009, has powered the OSV Viking Lady for more than 18,500 hours on liquid natural gas fuel and an onboard fuel cell. This next phase will integrate a battery pack for energy storage. The project estimates that the potential benefits of the hybrid energy system could be 20 to 30 percent reduction in overall fuel consumption and CO2 emissions through smoother and more efficient operation between engines and fuel cell. The project is due for completion in 2013. In Germany, the e4ships project sponsored by the German National Innovation
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Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP), brings German shipyards and shipping companies into the fold with the fuel cell industry on four different programs focusing on yachts, container ships, cruise ships, and ferries. The program just began and is slated to run until 2016. These international projects highlight the growing awareness that fuel cells are proving to be a viable technology to help reduce emissions on land and sea, satisfying regulations while delivering reliable and efficient power to ports and the ships that service them around the world. IP
THE AUTHOR Jennifer Gangi works for the Breakthrough Technologies Institute (BTI) as Program Director of Fuel Cells 2000, reporting on fuel cell policy and markets. She is active in the Sustainable Energy Coalition and the Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment, co-founded the Women in Fuel Cells group, and is on the board of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association. 2012 Issue III
River Training Structures Innovative Engineering Keeps a Dynamic River Open for Navigation
Chevrons such as these are river training structures designed in a blunt-nosed, arched shape. They are constructed parallel to the river’s flow and use the energy of the river to redistribute flow and sediment. They are usually placed adjacent to the river bank to allow flow separation and create channel deepening, side channel development, and middle bar formation.
Those that live along the banks of the Mississippi River, work on it, or cross it on a regular basis know the rising and falling of the water levels are cyclical in nature. As the levels drop, rock structures in the river start to emerge: long dikes of limestone jut from the banks, and arch-shaped chevrons point upstream. These river training structures are part of the innovative engineering that allows for safe passage of commerce on the Mississippi River, saving taxpayers money and creating habitat in the river. By Michael Petersen Chief of Public Affairs, USACE St. Louis District Photos Courtesy USACE 2012 Issue III
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a Congressionally-mandated mission to ensure that our inland waterways are navigable. The Corps’ St. Louis District combines a tradition of river engineering with award-winning innovation to accomplish its mission and keep the Mississippi River open. The Mississippi River is in an alluvial valley, which means the riverbed is made up primarily of moving sand and prone to changes in depth, like shoaling. The ability of waterborne commerce to move on the river plays an important role in the nation’s economy: more than 300 million tons of barge cargo moves on the river annually, including sixty percent of America’s agricultural exports. Shannon Hughes has worked on the Mississippi River for more than 22 years, starting as a deckhand and working his way up to port captain for Kirby Inland Marine. In his career, Hughes has seen the difference river training structures have made for the river transportation industry, reducing the need for a tricky practice known as flanking. Flanking is a maneuver used by towboat pilots headed downstream into a bend. The tow slows to match the speed of the current and goes into a river bend at an almost sideways angle. The strong current in the heart of the bend then straightens the front of the tow downstream. “There’s a lot of stress involved in flanking,” Hughes said. “If you don’t do it right, you’ve got bad consequences. You can hit the bank.” The construction of bendway weirs on the Mississippi means less risk to towboats, their crews and cargo. “The underwater weirs have made a big improvement in some of the hard turns. We’ve had a lot fewer problems in the areas that didn’t have the weirs before,” Hughes added. “The whole Upper Mississippi is kept in much better shape as far as shoaling since I started in the wheelhouse in 1994.” River training structures, including dikes, chevrons and bendway weirs, are used to keep the dynamic river navigable in the most efficient and environmentally sound manner. “It takes a combination of structures, revetments, and dredging to keep sediment moving through the system and maintain the nine foot navigation channel on the Mississippi,” said Eddie Brauer, river engineer at the Applied River Engineering Center in St. Louis. The structures work by using the river’s energy to move sediment out of the navigation channel, reducing the need for dredging. While dredging remains an important part of the Corps’ navigation mission, there are associated limitations that make river training structures a financially and ecologically sound alternative. “Dredging is expensive; there’s no way we could dredge the entire channel all the time,” Brauer said. “It’s also very intrusive to fish habitat when we dredge up material from the bottom, not to mention the placement of dredged material.” A dredge mechanically lifts sand from one area to another without making a permanent change to the river’s 8
energy and flow. The dredge has to be used in the same area over and over again because the river continually replaces the sand that is removed.. The river training structure takes the place of the dredge and moves this continuous supply of sand out of the channel by using the river’s own energy. Similar structures have been used in the Mississippi River since the 1830s to deal with the ever-changing nature of the river. While designed to help provide a navigable channel, the river training structures have a secondary benefit: creating or improving habitat for wildlife.
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Wing dikes such as those pictured here near Mississippi River mile 100 have been in use on the river since the 1830s to help maintain the shipping channel.
“The Middle Mississippi is a sand-bed river, which comparatively doesn’t have a great deal of biological diversity,” said Tom Keevin, biologist and chief of the Environmental Compliance Branch for the Corps in St. Louis. “When you put rock in, it creates a hard substrate in the river, which is habitat for bottom feeding invertebrates. It also provides a place for fish to go and feed.” In cooperation with natural resource agencies, the Corps has conducted numerous studies that demonstrate the positive ecological effects of river training structures. Recent studies 2012 Issue III
include fish and macro-invertebrates in bendway weir fields, and numerous fish sampling studies associated with chevrons, to include a recent study of St. Louis Harbor. With the growing amount of information available, the St. Louis District is conducting a voluntary environmental assessment of the river training structures. Keevin anticipates the assessment will be helpful to the agency and the public, both to summarize and gather the results of dozens of studies in one place and get public involvement in an important part of the Corps of Engineers’ missions on the Mississippi River.
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“The environmental assessment will give another opportunity for the public to be part of the decision making process,” Keevin said. “That’s really the heart of the National Environmental Protection Act.” Along with decades of study, river training structures have also received awards and accolades. The St. Louis Harbor chevrons earned the 2010 Chief of Engineers Design Team of the Year Award for Environmental An artist’s depiction shows underprojects water bendway weirs which slow the current and reduce the need by USACE for towboat pilots to practice Headquarters, the risky maneuver of flanking through turns. and most recently the 2011 Project of the Year from the St. Louis chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Applied River Engineering Center’s website has more information, including studies, reports and videos, on how innovative river engineering fuels the American river industry in a sustainable and cost-effective way. IP Printed with permission of the PIANC Smart Rivers Conference. The next Smart Rivers Conference will be held in 2013 in Belgium and The Netherlands. For more, visit www.pianc.us.
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Corps of Engineers Releases Post-Panamax Vessels Report
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he US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) submitted to Congress the “US Port and Inland Waterways Modernization: Preparing for Post-Panamax Vessels” report, an examination of options for future modernization of US ports and inland waterways. The report has been released to the public today at http://www.iwr.usace.army. mil/portandwaterways/. The USACE Institute for Water Resources (IWR) in Alexandria, Va., was responsible for the development of the report as directed by Congress in Public Law 112-74, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 (H.R. 2055), in December 2011. The act required USACE within 180 days to submit to the Senate and House committees on appropriations a “report on how the Congress should address the critical need for additional port and inland waterways modernization to accommodate post-Panamax vessels.” The submission to Congress Wednesday met the 180-day requirement. “Post-Panamax vessels today make up 16 percent of the world’s container fleet, but account for 45 percent of the fleet’s capacity,” said Maj. Gen. Michael J. Walsh, USACE deputy commanding general for Civil Works and Emergency Operations. “Those numbers are projected to grow significantly over the next 20 years. This report provides to Congress an analysis of the challenges and
2012 Issue III
opportunities presented by the post-Panamax vessels, and outlines options on how the nation might address the port and inland waterway infrastructure needs required to accommodate these new vessels.” The report identifies capacity maintenance and expansion issues associated with the deployment of post-Panamax vessels to trade routes serving US ports. This identification was accomplished through an evaluation of the future demand for capacity in terms of freight forecasts and vessel size expectations, and an evaluation of the current capacity of the nation’s inland waterways and coastal ports. The report, along with a summary, reflects the information available at the time of its writing. It addresses the factors Congress identified with chapters on: Discussion of Demand for Future Capacity, Current Capacity, Evaluating Capacity Maintenance and Expansion, Environmental Impacts of Capacity Expansion, Financing Options for Funding US Port and Inland Waterway Infrastructure Needs, and Additional Considerations. This is a technical report and does not necessarily reflect program and budgeting priorities inherent in the formulation of a national Civil Works construction program or the policy perspective of higher review levels within the executive branch. The report makes the following findings: • World trade and US trade are expected to continue to grow, with imports growing more than fourfold, and exports expected to grow more than sevenfold over the next 30 years. • The US population is expected to grow by
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almost 100 million over the next 30 years, with most of the growth in the southern and western regions of the nation. • PostPanamax size vessels currently call at US ports and will dominate the world fleet in the future. By 2030, post-Panamax vessels will account for 62% of the capacity of the world’s container fleet. • Along the Southeast and Gulf coasts there may be opportunities for economically justified port expansion projects to accommodate post-Panamax vessels. • This is indicated by an evaluation of population growth trends, trade forecasts and an examination of the current port capacities. • Investment opportunities at specific ports will need to be individually studied. • The potential transportation cost saving of using post-Panamax size vessels to ship agricultural products to Asia, through the Panama Canal may lead to an increase in grain traffic on the Mississippi River for export at Gulf ports. • An analysis indicated the current Mississippi River capacity is adequate to meet potential demand if the waterways serving the agricultural
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Post-Panamax vessels are already a reality for American ports.
export market are maintained. • Despite the uncertainty in market responses to the deployment of post-Panamax vessels and the expansion of the Panama Canal, individual investment opportunities for port expansion can be identified using established decision making under uncertainty techniques. Adaptive management techniques can also be used to address uncertainty issues. Maintaining the capacity of the nation’s major ports and waterways and expanding port capacity when, where, and in a way that best serves the nation will require leadership at all levels of government, and partnership with ports and the private sector. The main challenges are to continue to maintain the key features of our current infrastructure, to identify when and where to expand coastal port capacity, and to determine how to finance its development. For more, visit www.iwr.usace.army. mil.portandwaterways. IP
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Redpath Sugar Clears Docks Faster with Sennebogen Equilibrium Crane By Robert Adeland Sennebogen recently installed its 880 Equilibrium Crane for Redpath Sugar in Toronto, Canada. The author takes us from the decision to replace two aging Colby cranes and replace them with a single, new, high-volume crane. As you’ll see in the sidebar, the task of actually getting there was quite something and a story by itself.
(Above) The Sennebogen 880 EQ at the Redpath Sugar loading facility will unload ships 50% faster than the two rope cranes it replaced. 2012 Issue III
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ocated on the north shore of Lake Ontario, the Redpath Sugar factory in Toronto, Canada, relies on ships plying the St. Lawrence Seaway to bring raw sugar from South America and the Caribbean to the inland factory. The plant ships out sugar products nationwide for 12 months of the year but, as a winter port where temperatures can dip to -20oC, shipping and transportation can be a challenge through a large part of the year. As a result, the Redpath dock is pressed all year long to “make sugar while the sun shines.” The President of Redpath Sugar, Jonathan Bamberger, acknowledges that the need to move sugar faster off the docks is as much about economics as it is about timing. “At that time, finding ships to carry the sugar was very difficult, and having them berthed at the dock was costly,” he said. “Our focus for the new ship unloader was to get the ships in and out as fast as possible.” Starting in 2007, the Redpath engineering team was assigned the task of upgrading Redpath’s aging cranes and transfer facility. Last Spring, when the Seaway opened after the winter, Redpath was ready to start clearing its dock at a greater rate than ever, thanks to its newly commissioned Sennebogen 880 EQ material handler. Ironically, after three years of planning, the Redpath’s choice of Sennebogen’s equilibriated machine was an “11th hour” decision that led to a hectic and challenging winter. BEGINNING THE UPGRADE PROCESS The need to replace two Colby rope cranes had been forecast by Redpath as long as 10 years ago. After more than 50 years of service on the harbor, the two cranes were becoming costly to maintain and the demand for throughput was rising.
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Redpath expects significant savings in energy costs as a result of the efficient lifting capability of Sennebogen’s counterbalanced design.
Redpath receives more than two dozen ships at its dock each year. The Colby cranes, with their 3-yard buckets, worked in tandem to transload the 20,000ton cargos of raw sugar to a hopper, where a conveyor moved the product to the factory’s storage facility. The goal for the upgrade project was to deploy a single unloader that would increase the transfer rate by at least
50% over the combined production of the two Colby cranes. Redpath’s initial survey of equipment and practices led them to ports and sugar refineries around the world. It was then that they first encountered the concept of an equilibrium crane. “I had the opportunity to see an equilibriated crane in operation but was not yet familiar with
Sennebogen and their 880 EQ unit,” said Jonathan Dunn, Redpath’s Manager of Engineering Projects. “The idea was attractive to me immediately. I appreciated the energy efficiency of the counterbalance design and the ‘positive pick’ of the material handler’s fixed boom.” While rope cranes rely on the weight of the bucket or grapple to dig into the pile, material handlers can use the hydraulics to push their attachment down and achieve a higher filling rate of the attachment. The result, Dunn surmised, would be a deeper, more efficient bite into dense loads of sugar. Dunn was also struck by the quiet operation of electric-driven material handlers compared to conventional cranes. As the City of Toronto has worked to develop its downtown harbor front into recreational and community spaces, Redpath is the one industrial facility that has chosen to remain.
To preserve its place here, Redpath has adopted a number of environmental and citizenship commitments to the area. Minimizing noise and emissions from the dock was a high priority on the engineering team’s equipment criteria. However, when the engineering team compiled its initial list of potential suppliers, Sennebogen’s name was not on it. While Sennebogen material handlers have emerged as a leader in North American scrap, recycling, waste, and material handling industries over the past 10 years, the green machines are just now beginning to make inroads into North American ports. “At that point, I still wasn’t familiar with Sennebogen,” reported Dunn. “After we put out our initial Request for Proposals (RFP), we had four bids, but none of them included an equilibriated machine. We narrowed the choice down to two single-jib
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rope cranes, but we weren’t really totally satisfied with either choice.” LAST-MINUTE DECISION Despite misgivings about noise levels and capacity in the two proposals, the team found itself at a point where a decision was needed so the project could move forward. However, with time running out, Dunn received a phone call from Trevor Ash, of Top Lift Enterprises in Stoney Creek, Ontario. “Trevor said he had heard that Redpath was in the market, and could he have a half-hour to show us what they have,” said Dunn. Top Lift’s presentation covered the range of Sennebogen machines. Among them was one of the firm’s newest developments: the 160-ton model 880 EQ counterbalanced material handler. “Not to make too much of it,” Dunn smiles, “but for us, it really was love at first sight!”
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Despite the constricted space of the sugar dock, Redpath’s Jonathan Dunn required stairways in place of ladders along with well-guarded catwalks and maintenance platforms to ensure the safety of workers throughout the loading structure.
Top Lift was invited to make a technical presentation on the capabilities of the 880 EQ. Dunn says the team members were encouraged by photographs of the 880 EQ. “We wondered why one manufacturer had recommended against its own material handler, and
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The cantilevered mount of Sennebogen’s Harbor Cab provides operators with a direct view into the hold of sugar-laden ships.
had proposed a rope crane for us instead,” he said. “So we were interested in hearing why Sennebogen believed its EQ machine was the better solution.” Prior to the final RFP being called, Constantino Lannes, President of Sennebogen LLC, invited members of the Redpath engineering team to meet with the Sennebogen engineering team in Germany. It was a chance to see these machines in operation and talk to the operations people. Redpath also got the opportunity to further define their requirements. With three proposals now on the table, the Redpath team presented the bidders with a further challenge. Along with the new crane, the project called for installation of the complete transloading system, including a new 20-ft. square hopper and conveyors to deliver sugar to the existing conveyors in the storage shed. 16
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The whole system would also have to conform to the load limits of the existing dock. “We were looking for a total turnkey solution – to be able to just walk out the door to the dock, turn it on, and go,” Dunn said. Of the three suppliers, only Top Lift was wellprepared for the engineering team’s turnkey request. With diverse interests in industrial cranes, mobile material handlers and earthmoving equipment, Top Lift is also closely connected to Greco Contracting, a specialist in steel fabricating and construction. The Redpath project was a natural opportunity for the two firms to work together on an integrated solution. “This was a very large project for us,” Dunn admitted. “It was very stressful. Seeing the strength and resources of the organizations we had to work with in Sennebogen, Top Lift and Greco was a great relief.” 2012 Issue III
The team’s confidence was confirmed when Dunn was invited to Germany to see the completed new machine operate before being shipped to Canada. “Seeing it fully assembled and tested at the factory took a lot off my mind. Once it got to our dock, all we would have to do is put it back together the same way!” Redpath’s new machine is a 400,000lbs. (182-ton) gantry-mounted material handler equipped with a Canadiansourced Rotobec 11-yard clamshell. It was
the 880 EQ operational. Dunn credits the Sennebogen team for making the extra effort to keep to their original schedule.
MORE HURDLES Top Lift and Sennebogen found they still had some hurdles to overcome. Delivery plans were complicated by winter conditions on the Seaway and early blizzards along the overland truck route. When the machine was finally delivered to Toronto, the work crews were restricted to a landing area on the dock just 30 ft. by 30 ft., backing onto a busy downtown street, to unload the giant boom and erect the new loading structure. Despite these difficulties, Top Lift and Greco had the project on track by the time Toronto’s shipping season reopened, with construction on the dock completed and
THE AUTHOR Robert Adeland is President of Marketing Strategies & Solutions (London, ON, Canada), an integrated marketing firm specializing in B-2-B communication. An established marketer in Canada and the US, he can be reached at robert@ marketingstrategiesandsolutions.com. Sennebogen has been a leading name in the global material handling industry for over 60 years. Based in Stanley, NC, they offer purpose-built machines to suit any material handling application. Visit www.sennebogen-na.com.
SWEET AS SUGAR Since then, Top Lift has continued to work with Redpath’s Engineering team and the dock staff to refine the system’s configuration and orient Redpath operators on the new machine. As equipped, the new unloader has the capacity to move as much as 18,000 lbs. (8160 kg) of sugar per cycle, compared to the 4900 lbs. (2250 kg) maximum of each former crane. Operators are also becoming more and more comfortable with the equipment. During the most recent time trials, Redpath operators were closing in on the peak target of 600 tons per hour. “In effect, the company was looking for a 50% increase in total productivity, using one machine instead of two, “ said Dunn. “I have no Four gantry races were designed to run on five wheels, three motorized, to distribute the weight of the 880 EQ within the doubt we’ll get there.” load limits of Redpath’s existing dock. Operators are continuing to train and Dunn expects to able to traverse the length of the dock on make further improvements to the dock four 5-wheel races. The gantry tracks are operation, as he and his control team offset in height, with the races next to the explore options for automating parts of factory wall elevated to maximize dock the loading system. space at ground level. “Having gone through it all now, we The Sennebogen large port cab can see that Sennebogen was the right operator’s station, designed specifically choice,” Dunn reflected. “There’s simply for port operations, is mounted 30 ft. no way we would be this close to our above the dock level and extends a full original goals at this point if we had gone 19 ft. (5.9m) out from its swing center to any other way.” IP provide a clear direct view into the ship’s hold and into the loading hopper.
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Getting There: More Than Half the Battle! When Redpath Sugar issued its PO to Top Lift Enterprises for a new 880 EQ material handler, Sennebogen put the machine on an accelerated timetable. Redpath had very little flexibility in its timeframe for completing the construction and installation work. “It had to be in the winter months, while the dock is idle,” explains Trevor Ash of Top Lift. “That gave us a delivery deadline at the end of August, so we could be operational by Spring.” With production commencing in December, the 182-ton machine was manufactured, tested, and ready to ship in under 11 months. But then Mother Nature intervened. Sennebogen originally planned to deliver the big machine from Germany directly to the Redpath dock via the St. Lawrence Seaway, 900 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean to Toronto Harbor on Lake Ontario. That plan, however, was confounded at the last minute. The shipping company informed Sennebogen that it was unable to guarantee the machine’s arrival before the winter freeze on the Seaway. Sennebogen hastily put together an alternate plan, avoiding the Seaway by way of the Port of Baltimore, then by truck 500 miles through New York State to Toronto. But, as the project team learned, overland routes can have problems in winter, too. With waivers and police escorts carefully mapped out on back roads, Redpath’s 880 EQ was on its way through New York when the early December blizzards of 2010 upset the schedule again. As Redpath’s Jonathan Dunn recalls, “The police were called away. The roads were snowed in. The truck and driver were stranded at the side of the road for 15 days!” The new unit finally arrived at the Toronto dock just a few days ahead of the New Year. With limited time, the installation team was also severely restricted in space. Redpath’s 30-ft. wide dock extends out into the water and along the length of the factory wall, and is sealed off at the end by the streets of downtown Toronto. The material handler’s massive boom and undercarriage components had to be lifted into place by cranes operating from a 30-ft. square landing at the street end of the dock. The work crews from Top Lift, Greco and Sennebogen were able to bring in the project on time to meet Dunn’s schedule. “I really have to give all the credit to the service team – technically, they may have missed the initial delivery date due to Mother Nature, but they made the deadline. They simply did everything they had to do.” IP 17
PortVision’s TerminalSmart Management Tools Optimize Efficiency and Safety
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arine terminal operators are under more pressure than ever to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance visibility to every aspect of the increasingly complex terminal environment. They need instant access to all necessary information about current and historical vessel locations and events, plus the tools to leverage that information for business intelligence and analysis, enhanced operational efficiency, critical decisionmaking, and comprehensive, integrated reporting. The answer to the first half of the terminal management challenge came with the advent of the Automatic Information System (AIS). In 2005, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and U.S. Coast Guard mandated that large vessels must continuously transmit AIS collision-avoidance signals throughout global ports and inland waterways. AIS information becomes most compelling when it is compiled and provided as a web-based resource that can provide both real-time data, and years of analytical history around a specific vessel, fleet, terminal, or platform. Additional information can be attached or linked to these vessels, allowing users to associate the vessel with a cargo manifest or photographs of the loaded cargo. Small satellite tracking units can similarly be used to track information about containers, barges, and other high-value assets, providing even greater visibility. Now, the second half of the terminal management challenge has arrived with solutions that combine access to real-time and historical AIS information with integrated reporting, analysis and management tools. The result is an end-to-end, enterprise-class management platform that enables operators to increase efficiency, reduce costs and significantly enhance marine terminal safety and security. This comprehensive platform also provides the modular foundation for deploying additional enterprise capabilities that automate and enhance dock management and other key functions, and enable terminal operators to replace their disparate systems with a single, comprehensive, integrated solution.
An Integrated Management Environment The key to operational efficiency in the complex marine terminal environment is the ability to integrate all key management activities into a single comprehensive dashboard that combines vessel tracking capabilities with enterprise-class process automation and analytical tools. First, terminal managers need access to realtime and historical information about the activities of every relevant vessel of interest. Second, they must be able to share this information with team members, vendors, partners and other stakeholders. And third, they need the tools to take advantage of this information and to streamline and automate key business processes. With these three capabilities in place in a single dashboard, terminal operators can realize a number of benefits, from streamlining scheduling and demurrage reporting and analysis to more effectively managing all aspects of on-water incidents. One of the first examples of this new, more efficient marine terminal management environment is the PortVision TerminalSmart™ system. TerminalSmart adds reporting, analytics, and collaboration to the company’s core PortVision vessel-tracking service, which provides visibility to all commercial vessel traffic including real-time vessel locations and up to five years of historical data. On top of this foundation, the TerminalSmart system adds a com18
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prehensive dashboard that is configured and optimized to meet the specific needs of marine terminal management. TerminalSmart is used by major oil companies, marine service providers, third-party terminals, port authorities, and government agencies to improve visibility while bringing enterprise-class efficiency to busy marine terminal operations. The TerminalSmart platform’s core service provides real-time and historical information about the activities of every AIS-enabled vessel in the company’s covered service regions, including most major U.S. ports and regions and over 400 global ports. The PortVision data center processes more than 50 million AIS-based ship location reports every day, and maintains a data warehouse of 50 billion historical vessel arrival, departure, and individual movement records. The system provides detailed visibility into commercial vessel activity, from port arrivals and departures to ship movements on the open sea, all in a single display screen. TerminalSmart users also take advantage of the platform’s centralized, command-and-control display to automate scheduling tasks for just-in-time deployment based on current vessel locations, dock availability and in-transit traffic conditions. This enables terminal operators to streamline vendor and resource management, and to incorporate vessel locations and movements into their current traffic scheduling dispatch and management practices. For increased flexibility, TerminalTerminalSmart is designed to improve visibility while reducSmart users can define ing costs and enhancing efficiency, safety and security. their own customized filters, views and fleets of chartered vessels, workboats, tugs, and barges, to further enhance efficiency and productivity. They also receive and share e-mail and text-message alerts about fleet movements, and access historical data and animated playback for selected vessels and events. Reviewing historical vessel movements can be just as valuable as monitoring real-time activities. Many companies have incorporated the TerminalSmart platform’s historical vessel-movement data directly into the supply chain model, enabling them to perform integrated demurrage reporting and analysis within a single, integrated dashboard environment. For instance, by tapping into data about not only where a vessel is now but also where it has been in the past, these companies have been able to analyze demurrage charges and validate demurrage billing. TerminalSmart automatically timestamps and captures data about arrivals (including sea buoy arrivals), departures, and other vessel events, and allows users to add their own documents and information about dock-side events for each vessel call. TerminalSmart can significantly reduce the labor associated with demurrage calculations, by compiling all of the information required to track, validate and report demurrage information related to each route and berth call across an entire fleet. In addition to verifying demurrage claims, TerminalSmart’s detailed information can be used to produce the required documentation for supporting or disputing demurrage claims, as well. Individual customers have documented over $1M in annual savings through the use of these features.
A VERSATILE PLATFORM Finally, TerminalSmart is used to manage all aspects of on-water incidents or events. Operators view real-time vessel traffic in a single command-and-control display, gain access to every aspect of an incident in user-defined safety zones, and share real-time information with remote participants and other operation centers. The platform also provides the modular foundation for incremental additional, task-specific enterprise capabilities, including dock management. The TerminalSmart reporting platform is used to view and manage vessel activities until they arrive at the dock, after which the Dock Management System takes over, maintaining dock activities, demurrage data, and other information pertinent to the Statement of Fact (SOF) information related to the vessel call. Marine terminal operators are facing growing pressure to enhance their operations. By combining AIS-based vessel-tracking services with enterprise-class analytics, reporting and process-improvement tools, today’s terminal management systems improve visibility while reducing costs and enhancing efficiency, safety and security. IP 2012 Issue III
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Seamen’s Church Celebrates 15 Years in Paducah Insider’s View Photo Contest Winners Announced
(Above) John Dunaway (Texas) was the Grand Prize winner in the Seamen’s Chruch Photo Contest with this incredible shot of an evening lightning storm while transiting Gatun Lock. 20
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n June 9, 1997, instructors at the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) welcomed the first class to train inside its newly built Center for Maritime Education in Paducah, KY. Fifteen years later, SCI looks back on what represented a new venture for inland river industry training and the training center that continues to help experienced professional mariners hone their skills today. Beginning at the turn of the twentieth century, through two World Wars and the development of containerization in the 1950s, SCI has provided diverse forms of education to maritime industry employees. Over the years, the Institute created specialized learning environments where mariners could rehearse real-life scenarios on the water. In 1915, SCI used a retired tender vessel for instruction. Later, SCI later taught courses on the roof of its 25 South Street building, where it constructed a mock ship’s bridge at 212 feet above street level—the highest navigation bridge in the world at the time. And at the beginning of the digital age, SCI pioneered computer simulator technology. SCI first adapted computer training for 2012 Issue III
10,000th student from the Advanced Pilothouse Management coastal and blue-water applications but soon after began lookCourse, Captain Keith Bigbie of Ingram Barge Company. ing at uses of this technology for the rapidly growing inland river SCI works closely with industry training partners to detertowing industry. In the late 1990s—in collaboration with several mine simulation sceinland river industry The 1906 built Steamer Southdown Challenger upbound at narios that help sharpen companies—SCI built Detroit on a quiet 2004 night. Photo by Wade P. Streeter (Mich.). and enhance professional a new maritime educamariners’ abilities. With tion center situated at simulations often based the crossroads of the on real events from past Ohio and Tennessee incidents on the water, Rivers in Paducah, KY. mariners analyze and The facility housed develop practices to Kongsberg Maritime avoid errors. Prior to the simulators constructed simulation, instructors around replicas of towbrief participants on the boat pilothouses. The conditions of the simusimulators employed lation and the various wide viewing angles of challenges related to the photorealistic visuals topics. In the debriefing of the marine envithat follows, participants ronment, including discuss the simulation, riverbank features, practical measures for lock and dam consimilar situations and figurations, variations related class topics. on time of day, river Captain Greg Menke, stages, speed of curDirector of the Center for Maritime Education Paducah facility, rent and weather conditions. explains, “We offer practical and relevant training, asking mariFifteen years after its first training class, SCI continues to ners to bring their work experience and know-how with them.” train experienced river mariners using cutting-edge technology. SCI pairs its students with experienced teachers possessing years Two months ago, on April 18, the Paducah staff graduated the
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Early season ice on the Hudson River. Photo by Jeffrey R. Higgins (Mass.)
of involvement in the industry and expertise in adult education. This combination entails collaborative work in an environment built on evolving relationships. In a recent course evaluation, one captain wrote, “The teachers make the learning environment nothing but positive. I look forward to returning soon.” Mariners say they leave SCI’s Center for Maritime Education with better insight and preparation for demanding situations in the real world. SCI’s relationships have grown with thousands of encounters with mariners. Instructors now welcome the sons and daughters of their first students from 15 years ago to the center. When mariners come back, they catch up on the lives of their extended river family, which now includes the staff at SCI, and, like any close family, they stay in touch. Kelly Butts, Administrative and Marketing Assistant at the Paducah Center, says she gets phone calls from mariners about to pass by the center. “And we’ll go out and stand above the floodwall and wave.”
SCI Now in Lower Manhattan SCI has moved its headquarters to 74 Trinity Place, Suite 1414, New York, NY, 10006. They look forward to continuing their role in the historic New York harbor. Founded in 1834 and affiliated with the Episcopal Church, though nondenominational in terms of its trustees, staff and service to mariners, the Seamen’s Church Institute of New York 22
& New Jersey (SCI) is the largest, most comprehensive mariners’ agency in North America. SCI’s maritime education facilities provide navigational training to nearly 1,600 mariners each year through simulator-based facilities located in Houston, TX and Paducah, KY.
INSIDER’S VIEW Photo Contest Winners On March 15, 2012, the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) launched a photography contest called An Insider’s View, asking active and retired maritime industry employees to show off “art in everyday life.” Using angles, light, perspective and composition, SCI invited participants to snap photos that superbly captured the “extraordinary” in maritime workplace environments. After the contest ended on May 15, a panel of three esteemed photographers selected the Grand Prize Winner and seven runners up. The maritime workplace contains beauty few ever see—huge, powerful vessels transiting vast waterways and oceans transporting unimaginable amounts of goods. The objects used and seen every day by working mariners would astound most people in the outside world. What a mariner sees may not make the front page of the newspaper, but his or her perspective offers a view of splendor hidden in plain sight. The photos printed here comprise the top entries from the inland waterways, as well as the Grand Prize Winner. IP
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Louisiana’s Kirk Dietrich gives us a look down the de-watered valve tunnel at Port Allen Lock in Port Allen, Louisiana. The light spots on the left wall are light coming in from the ports on the right wall, where water comes in to raise and lower the water level in the chamber.
Kirk Dietrich also captured this beautiful view down the floating mooring bit recess at Port Allen Lock in Port Allen, Louisiana. The little round circle at the bottom is the top of the mooring bit. 2012 Issue III
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WCI Names Colbert Senior Vice President New Sr. VP Debra Colbert Shares a Little WCI History Lesson in this Exclusive Interview
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he Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) Board of Directors has named Debra A. Colbert as Senior Vice President, effective June 1, 2012. Colbert currently serves as Director of Communications and Media Relations for the organization and has served with WCI since its inception in 2004, developing the communications program of its predecessor organization, Waterways Work! Prior to her work with WCI, Colbert served as President of Colbert Communications, a communications consultancy practice that offered media relations, communications, public affairs, marketing and advertising counsel to a variety of clients. She was Director of Public Affairs for the American Waterways Operators, Manager of Communications for the Telecommunications Industry Association, and Assistant Manager of Communications for the Aerospace Industries Association. �We are pleased to welcome Deb to WCI in a full-time role as Senior Vice President. She is well-known to our members, the Corps of Engineers and the news media, and brings a great level of enthusiasm and dedication to our organization,� said Michael J. Toohey, WCI President/CEO. For more, visit www. waterwayscouncil.org. Congratulations.What will your new duties be within WCI? Thanks very much. In my new role as Senior Vice President, I will serve as the Deputy to our President and CEO Mike Toohey. I will continue to manage the media relations and communications program here at WCI. We have had great success over this past year, especially, with so much support from our members, which has allowed stories in USA Today, Fox News, Pittsburgh Post-
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Debra and sons Jack (left) and Max (right).
sponsors. This is the way forward for investing in our waterways infrastructure to allow for exports to increase, for Americans to go back to work to build 24 priority navigation projects over the next 20 years, and to help complete projects in reasonable amounts of time so they can return benefits to Americans. How important is the next presidential election? Will it be a busy year for WCI leading to next November? Every industry pays attention to presidential elections, and WCI will be no different. But we work hard with administrations from either party to educate them about the critical importance of the inland waterways industry to the nation. WCI will be holding its fall symposium this year, November 13-15 in Houston at the Four Seasons. I urge everyone involved in the waterways industry to join us there to get our perspective on the next four years. What do you enjoy away from the office? I have two amazing kids. Max is 17 and will be a senior in high school in the fall, and Jack is 14 and will be a freshman in high school. I am an avid runner, and I love a good mojito. IP
Gazette, Trains magazine, Politico, CQ-Roll Call, and very positive editorials in newspapers around the country. You have been around WCI since its inception. What was that transition like, becoming WCI? It was a relatively seamless transition. The vibe was very positive because we were all so excited about the potential of a new national organization committed to the modernization of our inland waterways and port system’s infrastructure. We were very lucky to welcome the members of DINAMO from the Pennsylvania region, and Barry Palmer as WCI’s President, plus the members of MARC 2000 in the Midwest Region, with Paul Rohde coming on as our Midwest Vice President. We all owe so much to Berdon Lawrence, who was Waterways Work’s Founding Chairman, and whose vision for a national organization grew to become WCI. How has the organization evolved to this point? I am so proud of what WCI has become – the organization to which members of congress, those in the administration, and in the news media turn to on issues related to waterways infrastructure. This has happened as a result of the commitment and passion of our members, and the dedication of my colleagues Mike Toohey, Paul Rohde, Harry Cook, Medina Moran, Chris Johnsen, John Doyle and JJ Jaskot. A wise person once said, in an editorial board meeting, “We have a good story to tell and we just happen to be right.” What initiatives do you have planned? We plan to create a new dynamic web site that WCI members and others can turn to as the source for information about the association’s activities, but also for the key news you need to know about the inland waterways industry. We also plan to conduct additional outreach to our members and prospective members in regions around the country. And of course we will continue to engage the news media in an ever-aggressive way—so they don’t forget the fourth “R” … for RIVERS, among Railroads, Roadways and Runways! What is the tone in Washington these days? I think the nation is frustrated by the slow pace of progress from Washington, but that is politics as usual. At WCI, we continue to move ahead with support for WAVE 4 legislation-- “Waterways are Vital for the Economy, Energy, Efficiency, and Environment Act of 2012,” offered in late March by Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY), which now has 14 bi-partisan co2012 Issue III
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US Army Ships Vehicles by Barge P
orts in Texas and Louisiana have teamed up with a barge line and trucking company to provide an economical transportation alternative to the U.S. Army for equipment returning from the war in Southwest Asia. Military vehicles being shipped to Red River Army Depot in East Texas were recently unloaded from an ocean-going ship at the Port of Beaumont, TX, and lifted onto a barge for inland waterway shipment to the Port of Caddo-Bossier, LA. Once there, the military vehicles – consisting mostly of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs) and Humvees – were trucked the last 90 miles to the Army’s repair depot near Texarkana. The movement by barge and transfer from the Port of Caddo-Bossier to Red River Army Depot was performed under a contract with the Army by Universal Truckload Services. The 175 military vehicles were returning from deployment in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation New Dawn. The military cargo was discharged from two giant roll-on, roll-off ships at the Port of Beaumont. The vehicles were part of the Theater Provided Equipment (TPE) that used by numerous military units in Iraq and Afghanistan since hostilities began. They are now being returned to the U.S. Due to heavy use in the harsh desert climate, the equipment is in need of maintenance and repairs at depots such as the Red River facility. Once the equipment is repaired, it will be deployed to military units and depots across the U.S.
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The discharge of the vehicles at the Port of Beaumont and its loading onto four river deck barges provided by Canal Barge Company of New Orleans was coordinated by the Army’s 842nd Transportation Battalion. The unit’s commander, Lt. Col. Michael Arnold, said the barge shipment of equipment between the ports in Texas and Louisiana and eventually movement by truck to Red River Army Depot provides an economical alternative to traditional allland methods of transportation. “This was the first significant barge intermodal move of military equipment in several years,” said Lt. Col. Arnold. “Typically, we would have shipped the vehicles by truck or by rail, but the intermodal barge move provided a means of moving a large amount of equipment in a cost-effective manner.” The 175 pieces of cargo would have required in excess of 70 railcars or 175 trucks had they been shipped directly from Beaumont to Red River Army Depot. Shipment by barge also allowed the Army to clear equipment from the port quickly. According to shipping guidelines, vehicles are required to meet a specific delivery date and be moved out of the discharge port within seven days. “Having all of these agencies collaborate on behalf of our armed services has been an extremely positive experience and one we hope will demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of America’s inland waterway transportation network,” said Eric England, executive director of the Port of Caddo-Bossier. Canal Barge Company provided four river deck barges to transport the vehicles from Beaumont to the Port of Caddo-Bossier. One barge was 276 feet long and the other three were 180 feet long each. The tows were pushed by two tugs, the 2,400hp Helene Maria and the 1,800hp Aaron Vizier, both operated by United Tugs, Inc. Marine Patrol units from the Caddo Parish and Bossier Parish Sheriffs offices provided oversight and security during the process. The Port of Beaumont, a public deepwater ocean port located on the Neches River in Southeast Texas, handles more military cargo than any other port in the United States. The 2,500-acre Port of Caddo-Bossier is located at the head of navigation on the Red River Waterway in Northwest Louisiana. An inland multi-modal transportation and distribution center, the port works hand in hand with the port system of Louisiana to successfully link customers throughout the Ark-La-Tex region to domestic and international markets via the Mississippi River, the nation’s largest river system, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. IP
Multi-Camera Safety System Ideal for Port Applications A new multi-camera operator vision system from RMT Equipment is “jobsiterated” to increase safe operation in the largest heavy-duty equipment operations. The Track-Vision systems are equipped to connect up to four cameras to a single monitor. According to Marc Lefebvre, Sales Manager for RMT, “Installing a 4 camera system on your mining truck or crushing plant is as easy as setting up one backup camera. You just run the insulated cable from the camera and plug it in.” Lefebvre says that safety-conscious equipment owners are now equipping more machines with multiple cameras to bring rear and side views of the jobsite into the cab along with “tool views, with the camera mounted all round the machine or on a primary or secondary crusher or conveyor system.” Track-Vision monitors borrow a page from the security camera industry by offering operators a choice of displays for the images from their cameras. Using the ‘’quad box option,’’ display modes include a fixed view of a single selected camera, or an auto-mode which rotates through all cameras in sequence, or a split screen view which displays all camera images together. The high resolution 800 x 480 image on the standard 7” monitor ensures a clear look in all directions with the split view display. The optional 10” Track-Vision monitor is also available. IP 2012 Issue III
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Industry Notebook The annual meeting of the WarriorTombigbee Waterway Association closed with warnings being issued by Kirby Corp.’s Matt Woodruff, Chairman, Waterways Council, that the challenges before the inland waterways are extensive. Funding for operations and maintenance is not getting the support we need to adequately improve the nation’s most valuable resource infrastructure. This was noted time and again by a panel of speakers representing several generations of waterway proponents. One speaker noted that, “as information continues to be developed to tell the story of the value of the rivers of this nation, we must continue efforts to change the minds of those who can influence the improvement of the waterways.” Speakers included Don Waldon, former Administration of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway; Tim Parker, Parker Towing Company; Jimmy Lyons, Alabama State Port Authority; Sheldon Morgan, Past-President, WarriorTombigbee Waterway Association; and Charles Nucholls, Walter Energy. The record number of attendees at this year’s conference found some consolation in the fact that several major economic projects have announced plans to build new operations along the river, and that includes Walter Energy’s latest announcement to open a new mine. Vigor Marine recently completed work on barge Klamath, converting the vessel
from a petroleum tank barge to an OSVR measuring 350’ x 76’ x 22’. The barge is owned by Crowley and leased to Shell as part of its comprehensive Alaskan oil spill response fleet in the Beaufort and Chuckchi seas. Tangye Hydraulic Toe Jacks are now available for rent at Lifting Gear Hire Corporation. They are composed of high strength aluminum alloys and have a ram capacity ranging from 5 to 60 tons. They have the ability to lift, lower, maneuver and position heavy loads with maximum safety. LGH provides hoisting, pulling, jacking, rigging, material handling and safety equipment available for immediate and safe use. www.lgh-usa.com Daniel L. Govero, President of the Jefferson County Port Authority, announced the hiring of Mrs. Janice Luchan as Director of Operations and Development. Janice has a B.A., Business Management/Marketing from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. A native of St. Louis, she formerly served as the Regional Sales Director for the Mid-Central Region for American Commercial Lines, a national firm specializing in the movement of commodities by river. Coincident with the celebration of its 114th anniversary as a Cleveland-based business, The Great Lakes Towing
Let us spread your message! Email your port, company, or group news to us at djones@inlandportmagazine.com Company and its Shipyard were awarded the 2012 Team NEO Economic Development Plus Award for Asset Creation in recognition of their achievements with their $11 million multiphase Shipyard Expansion Project. Team NEO (Northeast Ohio) is the regional office for the state’s JobsOhio business development program and stimulates job growth and economic development in the region. Team NEO offers marketing materials and tools to Northeast Ohio economic development organizations, communities, and businesses to increase regional opportunities. The annual event was sponsored by PNC, Humana, First Merit Bank, Timken, Sherwin Williams, Squire Sanders, Huntington, Lorain County Community College, Roetzel & Andress, First Energy, and many other businesses, community organizations, and educational institutions. The Shipyard Expansion Project is a four-PHASE project of which Phases I through III have been completed at a total cost to date of $11.345 million. The Expansion Project has included land acquisition, environmental remediation, installation of bulkheading and a concrete reinforced slip, ground stabilization, construction of a new headquarters building and state-of-the-art indoor shipyard facility, installation of a 770-ton Travelift (the third largest in the world), and construction of a 68 foot-high temporary Shipyard facility. So far, the Expansion Project has increased company revenue by 54%, increased its workforce from 37 to 101 employees (a 273% increase), and raised the average payroll by 141%. Sonar specialist EdgeTech recently welcomed Garry Kozak to its staff. Garry joins EdgeTech with over 35 years of experience in the underwater technology field. Respected worldwide for his knowledge in sidescan sonars, Garry has extensive hands-on experience with numerous sonar platforms and has traveled the globe performing underwater surveys and educating clients. The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority selected Lake Assault Boats to build two specialized aluminum work boats that will remove floating debris from the Cuyahoga River ship channel and the downtown Lake Erie shoreline. The Port’s Board of Directors agreed to enter into a contract for up to $358,058 with the Superior, Wisconsin company. The project is being funded by a $425,160 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the Port last year. “This is an important step in our efforts to ensure the long-term health of the ship channel for industrial, commercial and public uses of the river – as well as job growth and economic development,” said Port CEO Will Friedman. “We thank the EPA and our community partners for their key involvement in restoring the Cuyahoga River.” The two boats – Flotsam and Jetsam – will go into service by late summer. The Port developed the design concept and worked with naval architects on the specifications. The Port will own and operate the vessels. The work will likely create up to five seasonal jobs.
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The Board also agreed to utilize the Port’s development finance services to assist two local entities. The Port will issue up to $7.8 million in bonds for Magnificat High School, an all-girls Catholic college preparatory high school in Rocky River. The bonds will refinance debt the school secured to build its Center for Performing Arts. The Port also will issue up to $32 million in bonds for Cleveland Thermal LLC, which owns and operates heating and cooling systems in downtown Cleveland. Approximately $24 million of the $32 million in bonds will refinance existing debt. The remaining funds will primarily be used to assist in financing improvements to the chilled water system necessitated by developments downtown. The American Equity Underwriters (AEU) held its semi-annual Safety Committee Conference for brokers and members of the American Longshore Mutual Association (ALMA) in April in San Diego. The Conference, chaired by Steve Morris, Senior AEU Loss Control Manager, consisted of in-depth discussions of the latest safety issues facing shipyards, marine terminals, stevedores, and other maritime employers. Topics included Management Leadership, Facility Inspection Processes, Strain Injury Prevention, Recent OSHA Investigation Findings, and Member Safety Reviews. Presenters included Pat Killeen of Signal International, Leonardo Alaniz of Keppel AmFELS, Tim Sheppard of Cooper/T. Smith Corporation, and Patrice Hill of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics. Guest lectures were delivered by Dr. Steve Simon, President, Culture Change Consultants, and renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Thomas London. Nearly seventy maritime industry safety professionals attended this latest AEU maritime industry safety forum.” The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) proposes to reduce the hours of operation of the Mississippi River Twin Cities Locks for the 2013 navigation season and beyond. Currently, the locks operate 24 hours per day/7days per week. It is proposed that the locks be closed to lockages between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. each day. Comments on this proposal should be submitted by August 30. 77 Fed. Reg. 38780. Liebherr-Werk Nenzing GmbH was awarded the State Prize Clean Technology Austria 2012. The company has developed the first hydraulic hybrid drive for cranes and construction machinery. The competition for “Energy & Efficiency” was won by Liebherr-Werk Nenzing GmbH. The leader in the mobile harbor crane sector convinced the jury with Pactronic - the first hydraulic hybrid drive for cranes and construction machinery, which achieves increased handling performance with reduced fuel consumption. This drive system is characterized by a secondary energy storage device (accumulator). The accumulator is charged by regenerating the reverse power while lowering the load and using the surplus power of the primary energy source. IP
2012 Issue III