Another year; another major fleet takeover by Kirby Corporation. But the leader of the inland tank-barge sector is not growing for growth’s sake: a deeper look at the numbers shows a disciplined strategy at work.“Kirby is definitely the big gorilla in the inland barge market,” affirmed Jefferies analyst Randy Giveans.
According to a blog by Rear Admiral Randy Crites posted on the Navy Live, the official blog site of the U.S. Navy, the Department of the Navy Fiscal Year 20 Budget request submitted to Congress is $205.6 billion, a 4.8% increase from the FY19 enacted budget. Specifics of the budget are focused on six specific dimensions:The FY20 budget requests funding for more ships – as the navy continues to
As commercial shipping and energy activities picks up in the Arctic region, the prospect of accidental oil spills in this pristine environment remain a concern. In response, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is taking the lead – through the U.S. Coast Guard – to develop a subsea robotic system to map and report on spills.
USDA Study Underscores Value of Inland Waterways to U.S. Agriculture.On August 28, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Assistant Secretary of the Army (ASA) for Civil Works R.D. James toured Mel Price Locks and Dam in Alton, Illinois, and held a Town Hall Meeting to discuss the importance of the waterways, agriculture and the U.S. economy.
WCI/NGFA Urge NESP Infrastructure Project to Move Forward.The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) today commended the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for releasing a significant new study that quantifies the cost-savings and competitive advantages that would accrue from investing in long-delayed improvements to inland waterways locks and dams on
Familiarity can and does breed contempt. You don’t need anything else added to that heavy burden.We live and work in a frenetic environment replete with a wide range of both human and technological distractions. When those two elements came together on the bridge of a towboat traveling downriver to pick up a load of empty barges, the result was career-changing for the vessel’s first mate
North American energy infrastructure company energy infrastructure company AltaGas celebrated the grand opening of its Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal (RIPET), located in Prince Rupert, British Columbia – the first marine export facility for propane in Canada.The facility began introducing propane feedstock in mid-April, and the first shipment departed the terminal on May 23
Mixed Government Support for U.S. Shipbuilding.It has been a busy start to the 116th Congress for the U.S. shipbuilding industry, with three congressional hearings in early March focused on the industry’s role as a critical component of the U.S. national security industrial base. In addition, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019, which was signed into law on February 15
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities, fell for a ninth straight session on Friday, on weaker demand for capesize and panamax vessel segments.The Baltic index, which reflects rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, fell 50 points, or 3.5%, to 1,378. The index was down 18.
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, slid to a near two-month low on Thursday, as weak demand for iron ore and lower industrial activity continued to weigh on the index.* The Baltic index, which reflects rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, declined 46 points, or 2.