Missouri News

U.S. DOT Announces New MTSNAC Members

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao today announced the appointment of 29 members to the Maritime Transportation System National Advisory Committee (MTSNAC).Established in 2010, the MTSNAC is made up of leaders from commercial transportation firms, trade associations, state and local public entities, labor organizations, academia, and environmental groups that advise the Secretary on policies to ensure that the marine transportation system can respond to projected trade increases.“This advisory committee will help strengthen and modernize our nation’s maritime capabilities…

Missouri River Navigation Prohibition

The US Coast Guard has established a temporary safety zone on the Missouri River prohibiting navigation between mile marker 360 at Kansas City, Missouri to mile marker 450 at St. Joseph, Missouri. 84 Fed. Reg. 10417 (3/21/19) [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-03-21/pdf/2019-05372.pdf].[Source: Bryant's Maritime Newsletter]

USCG Closes Missouri River to Traffic

Safety Zone; Missouri River, Mile Markers 450–625, St. Joseph, MO to Omaha, NE.The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on the navigable waters of the Missouri River from mile marker (MM) 450 to MM 625 between St. Joseph, MO and Omaha, NE. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of persons, vessels, and the marine environment on these navigable waters as a result of flooding on the river that has resulted in some reported levee failures and is threatening…

Crowley Promotes King and Stewart

Crowley Maritime Corp. has announced the promotion of Tiffanny King and Jeannie Stewart to the positions of vice president of People Services. While each has different areas of focus, both will ultimately support Crowley’s mission of ensuring high-performance and employee development across the company. King and Stewart report to Carl Fox, senior vice president, corporate services, in Jacksonville, where all are based.In her new position, King has responsibility for human resources, compensation and employee health and well being.

Federal Charges for Captain of Deadly Missouri Duck Boat

The captain of the World War Two-style tourist "duck boat" that sank on a Missouri lake during a storm in July killing 17 people was charged on Thursday with misconduct, negligence and inattention to duty by a federal grand jury, prosecutors said.Kenneth Scott McKee, 51, of Verona, Missouri, was charged in a 17-count indictment, one count for each of the passengers who died when the vessel sank on July 19.McKee was captain of the vessel operated by Ripley Entertainment Inc, which ran duck boat tours in Branson…

Saia Opens New Missouri Terminal

American trucking company Saia announced the recent completion of its new Saia LTL Freight cross-dock facility in Strafford, Missouri. Strafford is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area and is situated approximately 14 miles northeast of the city."This new terminal is double the size of our previous Springfield-area facility and will allow us to meet the needs of our shippers not only today, but for years to come," said Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Ray Ramu.

NRF: Tariffs Against China Would Destroy 134,000 US Jobs

The Trump administration’s proposed tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports, coupled with retaliation promised by China, would reduce U.S. gross domestic product by nearly $3 billion and destroy 134,000 American jobs, according to a new study released today by the National Retail Federation and the Consumer Technology Association. The report finds that four jobs would be lost for every job gained. “As administration officials prepare to head to China for trade talks, the livelihoods of American workers hang in the balance,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said.

St. Louis, Plaquemines Ports Ink MoU for Mississippi River Cooperation

St. Louis Regional Freightway, Port of Plaquemines and St. Louis Regional Ports Sign Agreement to Foster Economic Growth on the Mississippi River. The pact will help support development of a new transportation link for cargo to move along the Mississippi River. The St. Louis Regional Freightway, Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District located in the State of Louisiana and four ports in the St. Understanding (MOU) to establish and grow an alliance to generate new business by promoting international and inland trade routes at strategic locations along the Mississippi River.

Superior Industries Appoints O’Hearn as Territory Manager

Superior Industries Inc., a U.S. based manufacturer and global supplier of bulk material processing and handling systems, has hired Terry O’Hearn as its new conveyor components territory manager for the southcentral United States. O’Hearn will work with distributors in the region to market and sell conveyor components in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. Active in the industry since 1981, O’Hearn has 36 years of experience working with conveyor belting and components. Before starting at Superior, O’Hearn worked for Texas Bearing, helping the company open a new branch in Dallas.

New Orleans' Big Plans Showing Dividends

A Container-on-Barge service intended to be an integral part of the regional intermodal equation is gathering momentum – and customers. Quietly, the Port of New Orleans (NOLA) has marked some important accomplishments in the past two years, across multiple business sectors. For example, in April 2016, NOLA’s Board dedicated a $25 million Mississippi River intermodal terminal, capable of handling 160,000 twenty-foot-equivalent (TEU) units per year by rail. CN Railroad signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) a year earlier (2015)…

US Trade Rep Says No Deadline Set for NAFTA Deal

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Wednesday there was no deadline for completing NAFTA trade talks between the United States, Canada and Mexico even as lawmakers warned that U.S. business would be hurt by prolonged negotiations. "There is no deadline. My hope is that we can get it done by the end of the year, but there are a lot of people who think that is completely unrealistic," Lighthizer told a Senate Finance Committee hearing to discuss the USTR's budget. Under U.S. law, Lighthizer, a veteran trade lawyer, will be the principal U.S. negotiator on NAFTA, although U.S.

Crowley Honors Employees Eisenhart and Hilburn

Crowley Maritime Corporation’s Jeannie Eisenhart, director of talent acquisition and employee services, and Bleu Hilburn, director of logistics business development, have been honored with 2015 Thomas Crowley Awards, the company’s highest honor for its employees. Eisenhart and Hilburn each received a limited edition bronze sculpture that depicts company founder Thomas Crowley ferrying goods in a row boat across San Francisco Bay in the early 1890s. The award serves not only as a tribute to the founder of the company…

Navy to Christen Littoral Combat Ship Sioux City

The Navy will christen its newest Freedom variant littoral combat ship, USS Sioux City (LCS 11), during a 10 a.m. CST ceremony Saturday, Jan. 30 in Marinette, Wisconsin. Sioux City, designated LCS 11, honors the city of Sioux City, Iowa. Adm. Michelle Howard, vice chief of Naval Operations, will serve as principal speaker. Mary Winnefeld, wife of retired Adm. James “Sandy” Winnefeld, will serve as the ship’s sponsor. The ceremony will be highlighted by Winnefeld breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow to formally christen the ship, which is a time-honored Navy tradition.

ASA Electronics Recognized as Overall IBBI Supplier of the Year

ASA Electronics is honored to have received the overall IBBI Supplier of the Year award, as announced at the recent IBBI meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. The award winners were chosen on the basis of a survey that IBBI members completed that rated suppliers in five key categories: product quality, delivery, technical service, customer service/warranty claims/returns and accurate invoicing. Matt Wood, OEM account manager marine division says, “On behalf of ASA Electronics and the marine division, we would like to thank Tom Broy and his dedicated staff for their continued support.

Victor Technologies' Student Welding Contests

Victor Technologies has informed of its 2014 Student Cutting and Welding contest, which offers students cash prizes. Even better, schools associated with student winners will each receive an equipment package valued at more than $4,000. Victor Technologies will award more than $30,000 in equipment and cash prizes as part of its 2014 “A Cut Above” student contest. The contest is open to students in cutting, welding and related programs (e.g., Ag Mechanics) at secondary and post-secondary schools.

16 U.S. States at High Risk of Damaging Earthquakes -USGS

Sixteen states are at high risk of damaging earthquakes over the next 50 years and certain areas of the United States face a higher threat of temblors than previously thought, a federal geological survey agency said. The findings come from updated earthquake hazard maps that were released by the U.S. Geological Survey on Thursday. The maps are used to help define safe building codes, help emergency responders plan after a quake, and influence insurance rates, the report said.

Adm. Swift Takes Command of Pacific Fleet

Adm. Scott H. Swift returned to his home state and relieved Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr. as commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet during a change of command ceremony on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, May 27. "The magnitude of this moment is not lost on me, especially given my personal and professional history here in Hawaii and the Pacific," said Swift, who became the 35th commander since the Pacific Fleet moved to Hawaii in 1941. "No one is selected for responsibility such as that of the Pacific Fleet based on personal merit or performance alone.

Governors Write Obama for Mississippi River Funding

The Governors of the five Upper Mississippi River States of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin are seeking President Obama’s support for critical investments in the Upper Mississippi River System as a nationally significant navigation system and a nationally significant ecosystem. In an August 20, 2014 joint letter to President Obama, the Governors expressed their ongoing commitment to the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP) authorized by Congress in 2007.

DOT's Foxx Names Two Marine Highways

Secretary Foxx Designates Two New Marine Highways. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has designated two new Marine Highways. The Occoquan, Potomac, and Anacostia Rivers make up the “M-495 Marine Highway Crossing,” and is sponsored by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission and This marine highway connects ports in the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, and Maryland for passenger services. The upper Missouri River is designated as the “M-29 Marine Highway Connector,” and is sponsored by the Port Authority of Kansas City, Missouri.

USCG Rescues Woman from Missouri River

Crewmembers from the Coast Guard Cutter Gasconade rescued a woman from the Missouri River near the I-680 Bridge, Monday. While at homeport, a crewman working late to mow the grass heard screaming and saw the woman floating down the river. Chief Petty Officer Matthew Avery, the Executive Petty Officer, and Petty Officer 1st Class Austin West had the cutter’s small boat in the water to save the woman less than ten minutes after spotting her. The boat crew located the woman approximately 500 yards down river from the bridge, nearly submerged, unconscious.

Hernandez Joins Port of New Orleans Board

Gov. John Bel Edwards appointed Tara C. Hernandez to the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans. Hernandez, who was sworn in during today’s monthly Board meeting, will serve a five-year term, succeeding Gregory R. Rusovich, one of four Orleans Parish representatives on the seven-member regional Board. Hernandez is President of New Orleans-based JCH Development, a boutique urban real estate development firm that specializes in the conversion of underutilized real estate into residential, commercial and mixed-use redevelopment projects.

Panama Canal Expansion Should Slice US Grain Freight Rate

Upon completion of the expansion of the Panama Canal, the cost to transport grain from the U.S. corn belt to Asia will drop by an estimated 12%, thus increasing the cost competitiveness of the U.S. as a grain exporter to Asia, Rabobank forecasts. In a new report, “Panama Canal: Expanding the Gateway for U.S. Grain to the East,” Rabobank says the expansion of the Canal will accommodate grain-laden ships from the U.S. of 25% more capacity than before, resulting in a shift in U.S. grain shipping routes that doubles the draw area west of the Mississippi River for exports through the Panama Canal.

MARAD Awards Grant for Green Tug Conversion

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) has granted $450,000 to AEP River Operations of St. Louis, Missouri, to modify the Motor Vessel (M/V) Christopher Parsonage into a fuel-efficient hybrid vessel that conserves fuel and reduces emissions. The modification will provide the 180-foot tug boat, which operates along the lower Mississippi River, with a hybrid generator set attached to the main engine that will provide auxiliary power, which would normally be produced from the diesel generator.

W&O Promotes Key Associates

W&O, a distributor of pipe, valves, fittings as well as automation and engineered solutions, announced the promotion of two associates: Lori Ulrich to Director, Human Resources and Tammy Emerson to President, Propeller Club of Jacksonville, in additional to her sales responsibilities as Account Executive. Joining W&O in 2009, Lori Ulrich is responsible for managing the Human Resources department for W&O’s international branch network. Ulrich represented W&O’s interests during a consolidation of health care benefits at the Pon North America level…

Cummins Names Schacht Commercial Marine GM

Cummins Inc. has named Jim Schacht General Manager for the Commercial Marine Business. Working in close cooperation with the Cummins distributor network, Schacht will be responsible for all commercial marine business activities for the Engine Business Unit (EBU) globally, including business development and support. He will be located in Columbus, Indiana and will report directly to Ed Pence, Vice President of the High Horsepower Engine Business. “The importance of the commercial marine market to Cummins has increased significantly over the past several years,” said Schacht.

Obituary: Martin J. Canfield

Martin J. Martin Jay “Marty” Canfield, 59, of Iola, Kansas, died Monday, November 2, 2015, at the Allen County Regional Hospital. Marty was born July 22, 1956, in Independence, Missouri. He served in the U.S. Navy for 11 years, and following his time in the service, he traveled working at nuclear power plants before becoming a field service engineer for Boiler Controls. Marty was in the marine engine room automation industry for more than 20 years servicing ships all over the world, working for G.R.Bowler, Inc. Marine & Industrial Controls, managing its VA shop for 13 years.