Editorial: Marine Highways Slowly Becoming Reality

There was a time when marine highways were thought of as merely potential for blue-water interests and coastal areas. The focus of the highway program is to move more containers on barges where possible, thus reducing trucks, pollution and safety risks on the nation’s roadways. Importantly, it would also reduce shippers’ costs.

Now $1.5 billion in federal funds is said to be available for capital investments in the U.S. surface transportation system, which includes the Maritime Administration’s America’s Marine Highway Program. As readers can see from last week’s WJ, interest is heating up.

We don’t imply that inland waterway operators have not delved previously into the potential of container-on-barge (COB) service. There are, and have been for some time, a variety of marine highway experiments; some ceased, while others operate successfully and are growing. In some cases, COB may at first be represented by one or two barges of containers in a tow of barges carrying bulk products. In any case, container-handling facilities must be available.

COB projects tried and ongoing are too numerous to mention, but readers saw one example in last week’s WJ story about the proposed barge terminal in Cincinnati. According to David Martin, the proponent, Queensland Terminal could add up to 140 new jobs and generate up to $105 million in economic impacts. The proposal is in litigation at present.

Also last week, the Coalition of Alabama Waterway Associations discussed Phase II of the Alabama Freight Mobility Study. According to the The Huntsville Times, Cline Jones of Decatur, Ala., executive director of the Tennessee River Valley Association (TRVA), said the Mobile Container Terminal is poised to become a “major player” in container trade. The terminal can handle 300,000 containers annually, with eventual growth to 800,000 per year. In 2008, Mobile opened a $300 million terminal with a capacity of 350,000 containers per year.

Another emerging idea is a Brownsville-to-Pittsburgh container-on-barge service. Joseph P. Linck, with the Port of Brownsville, said, “No other possible inland waterway…trade route could claim such impressive potential results. Linck says the port should submit a request for federal funds. Not only does he believe it would represent “the longest possible haul on America’s inland waterways, but he thinks such a route has the potential for removing more than a million trucks from U.S. highways annually. The project would “save millions of barrels of fuel, dramatically reduce pollution, and ease traffic congestion in many American cities. It is the most financially viable (route), as trucks (using it) charge over $100 a ton,” Linck said. Also, it would create more than 1,000 trucking, stevedoring and maritime jobs as well as new warehouses.

Successful COB operations indicate the time has come for more widespread use of this transportation scheme. For example, Osprey Lines currently operates a weekly COB service via the Mississippi River from Gulf Intracoastal Waterway locations such as Houston, Lake Charles, New Orleans, Mobile and Pascagoula to Memphis and Chicago. Richardson Marine/Schaefer Stevedoring together offer bi-weekly service known as the Houston-Brownsville Barge Express Service.

COB operations change the transportation mix. While they reduce the number of trucks on highways, they also promote the establishment of short-line railroads and trucking services at terminals offering the service in order to move incoming and outgoing containers to meet shippers’ needs.

The potential for COB services seems to be limited only by competition and demand. As with any business operation, it can work when the number of customers requesting the services makes it financially feasible.

The ultimate widespread establishment of container-on-barge service on inland waterways may represent one of the greatest developments since towboats and barges replaced steamboats.

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