Weekly News Summary For July 25-31, 2005:
The Coast Guard is developing plans to centralize evaluations, processing and issuing of mariners’ credentials (z-cards, licenses, STCW documents, etc.) in an effort to improve security, consistency and efficiency, said Cmdr. David Kranking, project manager at the National Maritime Center (NMC) in Arlington, Va.
Funding for the project is being sought for the fiscal year 2006, beginning October 1, 2005. It would entail moving the NMC from Arlington to the Martinsburg, W.Va., area, according to a press release from Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.).
Even if funding is approved by Congress, Kranking said it will be 2007 before the changes in the Regional Exam Centers (RECs) could be implemented and the West Virginia facility could be built, staffed and running.
Twice before in the last 10 years, the Coast Guard proposed different concepts to improve licensing and documentation. The current plan, with input from the marine industry, appears to be gaining wide approval, Kranking said.
Vessel documentation went through some similar stages of regionalization and eventually centralization about 10 years ago….
The Port of South Louisiana officially dedicated its new $5.7 million, 72,000-square-foot warehouse/transit shed and rail spur designed to accommodate multiple truck and rail loading dock activities. A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place at Globalplex Intermodal Terminal in Reserve, La., on July 13.
Port of South Louisiana Executive Director Joel T. Chaisson and Associated Terminals President David Fennelly hosted the ceremony. Invited guests included representatives from the Port of South Louisiana Commission and staff, representatives from the congressional delegation and state and local elected officials.
Joseph Accardo Jr., recently appointed as executive director of the Ports Association of Louisiana, was designated to formally cut the ribbon at the event.
The new transit shed was constructed with funds in the amount of $2,505,000 received from Louisiana’s Capitol Outlay Grant Program. The port matched the state’s funds to build the $5 million project through a cooperative endeavor agreement with the state….
The June 20th christening of the towboat Marty Baskerville ended a company era.
The vessel was originally named the Harriet Ann, and was owned by Upper Mississippi Towing Corporation, Minneapolis, which became Riverway Company in 1976. Ingram Barge Company, Nashville, bought the vessel and substantially all of the assets of Riverway earlier this year, closing the book on a company that was founded in 1937.
However, by naming the vessel after 80-year-old Riverway chairman H.M. "Marty" Baskerville Jr., Ingram ensured the firm would remain visible for future generations of rivermen.
The decision to honor the firm’s mainstay for almost 35 years—an icon in the river industry—was greeted enthusiastically by the Riverway Company family. Terry Becker, president and son-in-law, said at the christening, "When Craig (Philip, Ingram president) called me in May to explain Ingram’s desire to rename one of the recently purchased towboats in honor of Marty Baskerville, I literally got goose bumps.
"I called my wife and she couldn’t believe it. She was moved to tears. When we both called her dad that evening, Marty, being the humble man he is, expressed concern over what Harriet Ann might think." …
As part of its plan for future growth, the Perry County Port Authority, Tell City, Ind., recently retained W.R. Coles & Associates of Nashville, Tenn., to conduct a strategic market assessment.
"The effort includes evaluating the existing business and customer base, examining market potential in the region, the competitive environment, regional, national and international trends and formulating a market strategy for future growth," said Alvin Evans, port authority board chairman.
The Perry County Port Authority operates the Tell City River Port and the Hoosier Southern Railroad. The Tell City River Port is located on the right descending bank of the Ohio River at Mile 727, and includes approximately 0.7 mile of river frontage, 75,000 square feet of concrete/asphalt and 80,000 square feet of limestone hardstand outdoor storage, 66,000 square feet of indoor storage as well as land available for future industrial development and a nearby office building and warehouse. Rail service is provided by the Hoosier Southern Railroad, which offers 22 miles of rail transportation from the port to its connection with the Norfolk Southern railway system….
Chad Pregracke is someone who was called to action. After seeing the large amount of debris littering the waterways while working as a fisherman and shell diver, he decided to take on the cause of years of cleaning up the inland waterways.
An insurmountable task for many, but Pregracke foraged on, and now, seven years since its inception, his organization employees a formidable staff and organizes community cleanups, educational workshops, river bottom reforestation and an adopt-a-river-mile program.
This summer Pregracke said his organization has been focusing on river cleanup efforts along the Illinois River and recently began a trip up the Mississippi River toward the Quad Cities to continue cleanup operations.
"I know on the Illinois, things are already getting better," he said. "We have focused on working on the Illinois for the past few years. Illinois commercial fishermen have said they have never seen as much fish as they do now. Now Asian carp, that is a bad problem. That is hurting things. If I had to say something bad about the state of the waterways, that is what I would say, that Asian carp is a bad problem that needs to be dealt with sooner than later."
When it comes to the navigation industry, Pregracke said he doesn’t have anything negative to say. He said he has seen nothing but responsiveness from companies donating money, organizing cleanups and offering rides on tows up and down the rivers….
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